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ashthewaterghoul · 2 months ago

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Perfect - A Swiss Ghoul One Shot

He was staring at his partial-element, when he heard the wind die down completely for a serene few moments where the noise of the gale was replaced by another, much higher pitched shriek. Swiss was almost not sure he heard it. But he felt something. That cloud of anxiety had lifted for a halting moment when it happened. It was a call in so many different ways. He got up and quickly yanked his sweatpants on before opening the door. It was still cold as fuck and the wind had picked right back up again. He stuck his head out and looked around, trying to see who or what may be nearby, calling for Mountain a few times too. But he saw nothing. Swiss thought about that noise he heard though, and looked down instead. Or, After months of gradually debilitating anxiety that seemingly came out of no-where for no reason, Mountain takes Swiss away for a few days in their remote cabin. They had both hoped it might get Swiss out his own head for a bit, away from whatever what causing this, but Swiss never would have expected for it to follow him up there, and certainly hadn't expected this...

Rating: Mature

Words: 3994

Relationships: Swiss/Mountain

Tags: Soft Swiss, Soft Dom Mountain for a sec, storms, non-sexual nudity, lil spicy scene, safeword use, implied polyghouls, Mountain nicknames Swiss with different types of cheese, anxiety, panic attack. Spoilers (don't look if you don't want) - Kitfic, accidental baby acquisition sort of, Swiss' horniness catches up to him.

Lil TWs for severe anxiety, panic attacks, a mention of disordered eating, subspace mentions and safe-word use. Don't think there's any other warnings but lmk if I missed any!

~~~~

Anxiety.

It was something that Swiss had, mercifully, never known too well. He’d always been confident, never had much so there was no fear over what he had to lose, and he’d always been easy going so there was never anything to worry about.

That was until several months ago��

Swiss had woken up one morning and just felt odd. It was like he was nervous but had no clue what about. It wasn’t too bad, kind of like when you misplace your favourite shirt and you hope you haven’t lost it. He tried taking a walk to clear his head, his usual “hobbies” for a distraction, then tried to get ridiculously high. But any and all effect was short lived, and that pit in his stomach only seemed to get even bigger and all-consuming.

It had started in March, and now it was January.

It had slowly and steadily been getting worse and worse until now it had gotten practically debilitating. To the point that small decisions were making him teeter on the edge of a spiral and everything just felt completely wrong. Nothing was enjoyable or simple anymore because it had been months of feeling like this and he had no clue why. It didn’t correlate with anything like his cycle or his elements flaring up with the changes of seasons - that sometimes put him a bit on edge, but never like this.

Read below the cut of on ao3

“What do you want for lunch, Switchblade?” Mountain asked gently, breaking Swiss out of his own mind for a moment.

“Uhh.” Swiss’ eyebrows furrowed, he felt like throwing up all the time so food always seemed like an impossible task.

“Something little? Like a bag of chips and a banana?” Mountain suggested.

Swiss had been eating less and less, and it unfortunately was showing. His thicker frame and gorgeous tummy had thinned out some. And despite a lack of energy, he wasn’t sleeping properly either, his eyes bruised from dark purple bags.

Swiss shook his head. Tears pricked his eyes and his chest started feeling way too tight. No breath wanted to grace his lungs and his tail fixed tightly around his abdomen in a desperate self-soothing attempt that had become all too familiar recently.

Mountain, instantly recognising his beloved’s panic attack, walked around enveloped him in a hug - tight enough to feel comforting but not too tight to restrict his breathing even more. He’d unfortunately had more than enough practice as of late.

“It’s okay, baby, it’s okay.” Mountain soothed, raking his claws over Swiss’ scalp, “Just breathe for me.”

“Ca- C- Can’t.” Swiss wheezed.

“Yes, you can. Just focus on me.” Mountain said, making sure to take deep breaths that Swiss would be able to feel and try to imitate himself.

It took a few minutes, but Swiss calmed enough that Mountain could let go.

“You back?” He asked gently, cupping one side of Swiss’ face in his palm.

Swiss nodded, “’m sorry.”

“You don’t need to be sorry.” Mountain assured, putting his forehead against Swiss’ and just breathing each other in.

Swiss’ hands raked up Mountain’s sides and slipped under his shirt, instantly bringing a purr from the Earth Ghoul. Swiss’ hands then started pushing under Mountain’s waistband of his sweats and boxers in one go.

“Hey, hey, hold on.” Mountain said, stopping Swiss’ hands with his own, “You haven’t wanted anything for ages. Are you sure?”

“Please,” Swiss whispered, “I just want- need to let go for a bit.”

Mountain scanned Swiss’ face thoroughly and only found pure desperation for his agony to stop. It was something Mountain had done plenty before – Rain suffered with a lot of anxiety and Mountain had become somewhat of an expert in soft dom-ing Rain so far into subspace that the Water Ghoul got to be lifted out of his body for a while. The look in Swiss’ eyes was exactly what he always saw in Rain’s.

“Okay, Starman. I’ve got you. Gonna take care of you, okay?” Mountain said, cupping Swiss’ face in both hands and kissing his forehead.

“Please, sir.” Swiss whined.

“You don’t need to call me that now. You can call me whatever you want, I’ll help you regardless.” Mountain assured.

“Mounty?” Swiss said.

“Yes, my heart?”

“I love you.”

“I love you too. And you are so strong for wanting to let go for a while.” Mountain said, not expecting an answer but needing to say it, “You don’t have to speak from this point on, not if you don’t want to. Just gotta keep your mind open for me, okay?”

Swiss nodded and did just that. Mountain held his face steady as the barrage of Swiss’ mental state hit him. He pushed it aside though, finding the part of Swiss’ mind that let them all telepathically communicate.

This thing on? Mountain asked, just to check, and smiled when Swiss’ shoulders shook in a small laugh and nodded.

“My room or yours?” Mountain asked, and Swiss wordlessly dragged them to the Earth Ghoul’s room.

Mountain went about what was basically the routine he had for Rain. He checked in with Swiss plenty, knowing how fraught it all was for him and how scary it must be. Mountain knew he had to live up to his nickname of “gentle giant” as he went about this. And he did. Every pass of his large hands, every swipe with his tongue, every touch of his lips was gentle and reverent, and every word and sound from his lips was full of praise. Swiss had been so good for Mountain, so so good that Mountain could hardly believe that it was the same Ghoul that had often been so bratty it had taken him several hours to tame.

In Swiss’ mind, Mountain could see how close Swiss was to that edge. This time not doddering towards a spiral, but towards the soft and cushy world of subspace. Once he was there, Mountain would get him deeper, getting him to stay there for a while. Slowly, he’d rise back out and he’d help him come back to this cruel reality. But as Mountain realised how close Swiss was to letting go, Swiss did too.

Mountain had been as incredible as always. But Swiss’ instincts had been prickling from the moment he felt himself start to drop and give in. He tried to ignore it, desperate for that complete freedom from his mind. He wanted it so bad, to just let go and not feel anything but Mountain. His anxieties though disagreed, screaming at him to stay here because maybe the cause for his angst would come about and what use would he be if he was out of it? Swiss was so willing and eager to let go, yet his mind simply forbade it.

Mounty?

“Yeah, baby?” Mountain said, breathless and slate-grey skin sweaty, but using his own voice to ground Swiss.

Red. Can’t.

Instantly, Mountain stopped moving, trying to hide his sorrow on Swiss’ behalf. They both know how bad he needs it, but obviously Mountain is going to respect his boundary.

“You’re such a good boy for telling me.” Mountain knew Swiss well enough to know that that was still okay to say.

Swiss whined at the praise though.

Not. ‘m weak and stupid.

“No, you’re not.” Mountain said, equal parts stern and loving, “You’re so strong. So unbelievably strong.”

‘m sorry. He sniffled, tears rolling down his face.

“Do not apologise, my love. It’s not your fault.” Mountain said, kissing his tears away, “Do you me want to…?” He gestured vaguely to where they were still joined.

Swiss shook his head and pulled Mountain down on top of him, crushing himself and essentially using Mountain as a massive weighted blanket. Mountain just laughed into Swiss’ neck, and complied with the Multi.

Swiss held onto Mountain like a lifeline and they stayed curled up for the rest of the afternoon. Aether had made a protein shake that Swiss had managed to slowly drink down. Obviously, it wasn’t enough. But Aether and Mountain praised him regardless because it was a big step for him.

“Swissy?” Aether said.

“Mhm?” Swiss responded.

“Do you think it would do you good to get away from the Ministry for a couple days?” The Quint suggested, holding Swiss’ hand and using the contact to gently dose him on some Quintosis to clear the fog slightly.

Swiss’s chest clenched at the thought of leaving but the same happened with the notion of staying.

“Dunno.” He said so smally. It was completely uncharacteristic for him and Aether and Mountain’s hearts both ached with it.

“You could go to the cabin maybe? Go by yourself, or someone with you? The whole pack, if you wanted.” Mountain suggested, his arm around Swiss’ shoulders.

Swiss relaxed slightly at the thought of their cabin. It was at the edge of a forest that the Ghouls loved to hunt in, and Mountain had built it himself from trees he had grown with his own magic. They loved going there for getaways alone, or with a few or all of them. Sometimes Copia came but that wasn’t a lot - he wasn’t quite able to keep up with his Ghouls when they’re let off their Ministry leashes. The idea of the fresh air up there, the peace and quiet, the privacy and tranquillity made Swiss’ heart flutter in a way it hadn’t for a while.

“I think you like that idea.” Aether smiled, also feeling the small weight lifting.

Swiss nodded bashfully and leant against Mountain’s side, “You come with me?”

“Of course, cheddar.” Mountain said, and Swiss gave a small laugh at the nickname.

So, the next morning they packed up for a few days, and paid a small visit to see Papa and tell him the plan. The man was very close to his Ghouls and knew the whole situation. He didn’t hesitate to agree, and told them to go.

Mountain commandeered one of the big 4x4’s to help cross the rough terrain as they neared the cabin, and Swiss DJ-ed for the two. Mountain kept his hand on Swiss’ thigh as much as he could, rubbing soothing circles in and constantly whispering praises for him - masterfully keeping Swiss in a state of submission so Mountain could take as much of the weight as he could, and while they both knew it was unlikely, Swiss could easily give into dropping completely if he wanted.

When they arrived, they both stripped off. It was their safe space that reminded the Ghouls of their old homesteads and dens in the pits, and in the pits, they were all usually in the buff. It only ever felt like the natural cause of things to do the same here. It also meant that as Mountain lit the fire, and Swiss settled into the furs of the nest, the Multi had plenty of skin-to-skin contact to try and ground himself with. The two laid glued to each other, wandering touches and lazily making out, not at all sexual, just wanting the comfort.

Although it did start to get late and their stomachs started gurgling.

“Do you want to come and hunt with me?” Mountain asked.

“Honestly, I think if I get blood on my fangs right now, I’m gonna hurl.” Swiss answered truthfully.

Mountain’s face twisted in concern because that was beyond abnormal for hellspawn, “Are you going to be okay by yourself for a bit?”

Swiss took a deep breathe, “I’ll be okay. Don’t bother about getting anything big, I won’t eat a lot, if at all.”

“Okay, gruyere.” He stole one last gentle kiss before getting up and starting to gear up for the weather outside. A snow storm was slowly building on the drive up and it was in full effect now. Luckily, Ghouls are a lot more durable than humans so it wouldn’t affect Mountain much more than just being really fucking cold and he did value his extremities.

Mountain left, and Swiss slumped in the furs. The nest felt way too empty without Mountain in there and so he moved to one of the armchairs by the fire place instead. The wind howled outside, and Swiss tried to let it lull him. He stared into the flames and watched their beckoning dance, reaching a hand out and using his own Fire affinity to play with them a bit more.

He was staring at his partial-element, when he heard the wind die down completely for a serene few moments where the noise of the gale was replaced by another, much higher pitched shriek.

Swiss was almost not sure he heard it. But he felt something. That cloud of anxiety had lifted for a halting moment when it happened. It was a call in so many different ways.

He got up and quickly yanked his sweatpants on before opening the door. It was still cold as fuck and the wind had picked right back up again. He stuck his head out and looked around, trying to see who or what may be nearby, calling for Mountain a few times too. But he saw nothing.

Swiss thought about that noise he heard though, and looked down instead.

It was entirely what his instincts told him it would have been, yet he never would’ve actually expected to see a kit, in their bassinet, on his doorstep.

Instantly he picked up the basket and brought them in. The kit was screaming their little lungs out and their lips, fingers, toes and tail were turning a concerning shade of pale grey from the cold. He sat the both of them in front of the fire and picked them up in their blanket, cradling them close to his chest.

And that cloud of anxiety that had been weighing down on him all these months, finally lifted now he finally had his daughter in his arms.

Wait, rewind that a minute… DAUGHTER?!

Swiss couldn’t believe it. Sure, they had always made jokes about how his lascivious lifestyle probably had given him dozens of kits he doesn’t know about. But that’s what they always were, jokes. With Ghoul biology, if it wasn’t his cycle, he wasn’t fertile. And even when he was in his cycle, Aether kept him dosed on a very specific type of Quintessence so there wouldn’t be any byproduct to his magnified horniness.

The Multi couldn’t deny her though. As soon as her little hand peaked out under her blanket and knocked against his chest, something in his soul clicked. He knew she was his. He could feel the mix of elements coming from her – Earth, Fire and Quintessence as the main ones. As he lifted her up closer to his face, she smelt like him. His scent was one of burning liquor and leather. Hers was also of leather, but instead of the spirits Swiss loved to drink so much, it was something more like warm spices. Gingerbread, Swiss came to the conclusion of. Such a perfectly cosy little bug with her slightly higher body temperature too. There was also the fact that as soon as she was in Swiss’ arms, she started to calm down instantly.

A quick check in the basket and folds of the blanket gave Swiss no indication of who her mother was, how she came to be, or even her name. Swiss’ Quintessence could tell she was about 3 weeks old, and for her to have been left in that storm for Satan-knows-how long, let alone anything else she had been forced to face, and the fact that she even existed, it was an absolute miracle that she was alive.

She was squirming again though, and Swiss instantly knew why. If her mother was human, then she didn’t know or wanted to keep her warm, if her mother was a Ghoulette, it was out of mercy for the cold or something crueller. Swiss didn’t dwell on it though as he took her little onesie off and cradled her in his arms again. Skin-to-skin with her father, she settled right back down again. He melted at the sight, and raised his own body heat to keep her warm, also making the fire burn a bit brighter too.

Satanas, everything felt so perfect now. And Swiss now understood why he had been so anxious for months. Ghouls were insanely protective and territorial, especially for their mates and kits. It was worst with Earth Ghouls, and Swiss’ Earth affinity was one of his strongest, obviously not helping matters. Somehow, their instincts always knew they had made a kit before they did. This started in March so with her being just shy of a month, it was likely that’s when she was conceived. Swiss’ anxiety was over not being able to care for her mother, to build her a birthing nest covered in his scent to keep anyone away, protect her as she gave birth and care for her and the kit afterwards. Well, that was even if it was a she. There were many identities in the Ministry and Swiss wasn’t exactly fussy…

That didn’t matter now though because finally she’s right where she should be. In Swiss’ arms, where he can nurture her and protect her.

“Hey, little one.” Swiss whispered, completely choked on every emotion you can think of, “I’m your Papa.”

Yeah, this felt right.

Swiss looked at the little Ghuleh. She had thick dark hair; her skin was a slightly darker grey too. She had two little mounds on her forehead where her horns would one day grow through and her tail had the beginnings of a very tiny spade. Her tail was waggling to try and wrap around something so Swiss helped out and coiled it around one of his fingers. Her eyes cracked open, and while far from being fully developed, her irises were bright and shining gold, instantly hypnotising Swiss into doing whatever he could for her. Her round cheeks pulled up into a toothless grin and Swiss laughed.

“I definitely can’t deny you, can I?” As if he would ever want to.

She squawked in delight and kicked her tiny feet.

Swiss would be lying if he said he’d never thought about kits. He just always figured he’d make a terrible father, having way too many unhealthy vices and his behaviour not being mature or domestic enough at all. Then there was a pressure of choosing his kit’s mother. He had a few mates within the pack who had the right anatomy but none of them wanted kits, at least not with any particular urgency. And even if they did decide to have them one day, they’d probably choose a more responsible father like Aether or Mountain. Swiss just never let himself think of it because he figured it would never happen.

But, one thing he did have was a list. It was buried in the bottom of his notes app and hadn’t been opened for a few years. But Swiss remembered every name he put on there and knew which one his little girl would have.

“Nyathera.”

She survived.

As soon as Swiss named her, she gurgled happily, burrowing further into Swiss’ chest. He chuffed a laugh before holding her a little tighter, licking at her head to clean and comfort her, and pushing his scent out. If he had known, he would’ve been scenting whoever caught on him, and scented her as soon as she came into the world and every night for that first week. It was to acclimate her to her father’s scent so she would easily find safety and comfort in it, but it was also a defensive instinct. As grim as it was, kits had a certain smell to them and some would use it to hunt Ghouls while their guards are down, caring for their kits or sleeping at their sides. By covering up the newborn scent, he was protecting her. And he also had a lot of time to make up for.

“Satan’s fucking toe nail, Switchblade. What are you doing? It absolutely reeks-” Mountain was cut off by himself and his jaw was dropped comically low.

“I- I- I don’t know either. She was just on the doorstep and, Mountain, my Lord, it’s just so right. I heard her and found her and picked her up. She’s so perfect and she’s mine, Petal, I know it in my bones, my soul, she’s mine.” Swiss rambled furiously and Mountain shucked off his layers as he spoke, the hares he caught left on the kitchenette counter and came over to Swiss.

He kissed the Multi’s forehead and put his own there, “It’s alright, darling. It’s okay now.”

“It’s more than okay, it’s perfect.” Swiss whispered.

Mountain looked down to the tiny Ghuleh and smiled, “What’s your name, little one?”

“Nyathera.” Swiss said proudly.

“Well, hello there, Nyathera. I’m Mountain, and I’m going to be the one making sure your Daddy doesn’t burn the Ministry down trying to change your diapers, okay?” He cooed, not touching her until Swiss had given the okay, which he suspected would be a while.

“Hey! I’ll only singe the curtains a bit, probably.” Swiss smirked, “And it’s Papa to her.”

Mountain snorted, “Oh, Copia’s gonna love that one.”

“Tough shit, it just feels right.” Swiss said, tears pricking his eyes and beading on his lashes, “Fuck, Mount, it just feels so right.”

“It looks it to.” He smiled, “When I walked in here, seeing you hold her. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a sight suit you more.”

“Really?” Swiss couldn’t express right now how much that meant to him.

“Really.” Mountain confirmed.

“Thank you.” Swiss said, knocking his horns against Mountain’s antlers, “For everything. Taking care of me the last year, almost. I know it wasn’t easy.”

“It wasn’t, I hated seeing you like that. But none of it was your fault. And I would do it a million times over, forever until the world implodes, if it meant you get to be as happy as you are right now.” Mountain affirmed, rubbing a hand over Swiss’ knee.

The three Ghouls stayed in silence with one another for a while. Mountain was making an effort to keep his scent in. Swiss’ was the most important right now for little Nyathera. If Swiss wanted one of the pack to help raise her in place of her other biological parent, Mountain would happily put his name on every line of the sign-up sheet, but until then Swiss was all that mattered. To him and Nyathera.

“C- can you call Aeth?” Swiss eventually broke the silence, “We don’t have anything for her here and nothing came with her. I don’t know how long she was out there for, I don’t know if she was born with anything, I don’t kno-”

“Shh, my sweet.” Mountain said, an expert at cutting off Swiss-spirals, “I’ll call him now. Do you want to talk or me?”

“You.” Swiss said instantly.

“Okay, I’ll go do it now.” Mountain said, kissing Swiss’ horn as he stood and looking again to the little Ghoulette, “You’ll watch him for me for a few minutes now, won’t you, Nyathera?”

Swiss stuck his tongue out before turning to his daughter, “We’re going to be a great little team, aren’t we, Nya?”

“Satan help us all.” Mountain grimaced as he went to the other side of the cabin - a specific spot by the corner that randomly had better signal that the rest of the place - and dialled Aether. As Mountain gave a very brief rundown of the night’s events, Swiss laughed as even he could distinctly hear Aether’s confusion.

Nya joined in with some gorgeous giggles herself, and Swiss knew that the two of them would conquer the world.

Aether’s voice, despite not being on speaker nor Mountain’s phone being on full volume, could clearly be heard shouting: “I’m sorry, WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!”

Yeah, Swiss was going to have a lot of explaining to do…

~~~

a/n: SwissAlps was meant to be a SINGLE SENTENCE in this. It was just meant to be a line about Swiss having to safeword but, these two dorks stuck around and I love SwissAlps, so I won't complain. Also, yes, I took the name Nyathera from my ficlet Metamorphosis , but this is a separate thing, Rain is not Nya's other parent. It's just a pretty name and I like it lol.

One shot master post can be found here!

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cheerycherrycandy-resurrected · 4 months ago

Text

What You've Done, You Cannot Undo (Medieval AU)

Chapter 13

Rain and the others are exhausted, but the ghouls have finally reached the Abbey. Will his recovery continue to go smoothly? Also: the ghouls meet the ghoulettes.

Longer chapter this week, because I couldn't find a better split! Please don't hate me for this one...

Rating: M Content: hospitals, sickness, quintosis for medical reasons, panic attacks, nightmares Words: 7576

Links to full fic: Tumblr | AO3

Hi tag gang! @everybodyshusband @rainsbasspick @revengeghoulette

Read below, or on AO3!

Dew took a deep breath and raised his hand to the bell pull. As his fingers hung poised to curl around it, the large doors suddenly swung inwards.

“Dewdrop!” Shrieked a high voice, echoing Dew’s arrival the week before. “I saw you coming, I’m so happy you came back!”

She threw her arms around him in a hug, almost suffocating him with her mass of white hair. Looking up, she spotted the four ghouls stood awkwardly behind Dew watching the reunion.

“This must be your pack!” She exclaimed in delight, releasing him. “I hope you’ve been taking care of our Dewy.”

Dewy hid his head in his hands in exaggerated embarrassment.

“Everyone, this is Cumulus. She's more like a hurricane than a ghoul, but don't let her scare you.”

“Pshhh, come in, come in,” grabbing Dew by the hand she pulled him through the open doors, beckoning the others to follow, “Riri’s rounding up the others, we can do introductions then!”

“Lus wait,” Dew pulled back, hesitant, “we’ve had a hard journey, and I think half my pack are about to fall asleep standing up. Could it wait until the morning?”

She stopped in her tracks, looking back at them all.

“Why didn’t I see that?” She looked appalled that she had overlooked this. “Of course you’re tired after that long journey.”

Dew didn’t like to see her look so crestfallen, but with his packmates already being anxious about the new environment, he couldn’t foist several exuberant ghoulettes on them all at once.

“Give your horse to Bell, then let’s get you some supper.”

Dew looked behind him to check the pack were following and led them behind Cumulus into the courtyard. Sidling up on unnaturally silent hooved feet, Cowbell materialised next to them to take her reins.

Turning to look at Rain, Dew reached up a hand to help him down. He seemed to struggle to swing his leg over the saddle, and as his feet eventually landed on the ground, his knees buckled beneath him.

"Rain!” he gasped, struggling to support him as he went limp in a dead faint. Swiss was beside him in a second, helping take the weight of his tall body before he could collapse to the ground.

“What's wrong with him?” Fretted Aether, also swooping in to press his fingers to his temples and bring him round with his quintessence.

“I don't know, he's in a bad way again like before!” Dew cried in a panic. “We need to get him to the infirmary; they'll know what to do.”

“He was fine this morning, better than he's been all week, how has he gone downhill so fast?” said Mountain worriedly, taking Rain's weight from Dew and Swiss and scooping him up in his arms as though he weighed little more than the rucksack still on his back. Rain's eyelids flickered open as the quintessence took hold, but his eyes remained unfocussed and glassy.

Watching in alarm, Cumulus quickly ushered the ghouls into the building and towards the infirmary wing. Dew chased alongside Mountain as he strode down the corridor, his eyes never leaving Rain for a second. They burst through the doors, alarming a young quintessence ghoul stood on the other side of them. He swiftly regained his composure and directed Mountain to an empty bed he could lay Rain on, calling out for backup from the other ghouls stood around.

“What happened to him?” he asked, leaping into action without even questioning who this gaggle of unfamiliar ghouls were.

“We don't know, he was sleepy this afternoon and then fainted out of nowhere!” Dew said, frantic. “He's been weak, but he seemed to be getting better!”

“He looks like he's taken quite a beating,” hummed an older ghoulette, “but these are healing bruises not fresh.”

“Two weeks ago,” interjected Swiss, “he was attacked two weeks ago, then locked in a human jail for a week and beaten again. He's been on the mend but started getting tired again in the last few hours.”

The ghouls nodded, looking confused as they pressed fingers to him checking his vitals, both those of his vessel and his soul.

“His heart rate is slow, but not especially slow for a water ghoul.”

“His energy feels very weak, like it's been strained.”

“He'd dreadfully malnourished,” the ghoulette looked up at the panicked travellers, “you said he was locked up for a week?” She was answered by an assortment of nods. “If you hadn't said, I'd have thought it was closer to a month. One week of imprisonment, no matter how poor the conditions, shouldn't have sapped him of this much strength.”

“Will he be okay?” Dew could hear his voice come out uncomfortably high, a note of hysteria modulating his words.

“He should be, but I’d like to keep a close eye on him,” The senior ghoulette looked at them sagely, “we need to make sure there's no underlying problem making him weaker.”

She turned to look at Aether, “You’re quintessence.”

He bowed his head slightly in acknowledgement. “Aether.”

“Astra. Have you noticed any change in his energy over the last few weeks? Anything that could indicate this was brewing?”

“His elemental connection only fully clicked two weeks ago,” Aether explained, “he could wield water powers before but never that strongly. They came in rather unexpectedly and a bit too strong, that’s what landed him in trouble with the humans we lived alongside.”

Well that was putting it mildly, thought Dew.

“Is there anything else that could have affected him?”

They all thought for a moment. In the lead-up to Rain’s catastrophic actions, everything had seemed normal.

“Your Calamus leaf potions couldn’t have done this?” Asked Swiss, clutching at straws.

“They should have strengthened his magic, not weakened it,” Aether mused, “they’ve never had any adverse effects before.”

“Oh!” Burst out a much younger ghoulette with cropped, indigo hair. “Are you the ghouls who wrote that incredible book Copia keeps raving about? I'd never heard of Calamus until I read that!”

Aether and Mountain stared at her, open mouthed, before turning their gaze on Dew.

“Would you happen to know anything about that, Dewdrop?” growled Mountain. Dew had the grace to look sheepish at that, but tried to defend himself regardless,

“I had to! You don’t understand how it works here, I had to bring something with a large value of knowledge so they’d help us!”

“I don’t care; you should’ve asked us, and explained yourself! You don’t just steal.”

“If I’d asked,” snarled Dew, “you wouldn’t have let me come here and then Rain would be–”

“Enough,” Aether bellowed directly into their minds. The pair clutched at their heads in pain. “We will talk about this later,” he continued, out loud now, “Dew, you will explain yourself. For now though, Rain is our priority.”

“Yes Aether.” Dew muttered, chastised. “I am sorry, I shouldn’t have stolen it without asking, but I promise I had a reason. You’ll get it back, I swear.”

With a harumph, Aether turned back to the quintessence ghouls as though nothing had happened.

“Rain’s recovery hasn’t been linear. From what I understand, after his power came in he was beaten unconscious. A few hours later he was conscious but unresponsive, but by the next day with some food and medicinal herbs he seemed to be doing better?”

Swiss nodded in assent.

“He wasn’t talking but he was communicating,” the multi ghoul added, “he had his magic still then, I saw it.”

Astra nodded, frantically scribbling notes.

“Then he was attacked again, and totally unresponsive for days. He only started reacting and talking again a few days after we pulled him out of there.”

“He was doing so well this morning though,” said Dew, stood clutching Rain's hand after grabbing it instinctively once he was on the bed, “his magic was the strongest it's ever been!”

“He was exhausted by midday though,” pointed out Aether, “I thought he was just sleepy.”

Dew shook his head thoughtfully. “He's been sleeping really well, since that awful nightmare a few days ago.” Leaning over the water ghoul, he saw his eyes flicker sightly in recognition, but remain unfocused and unseeing. His normally bright blue irises were so pale they were almost grey.

“What's wrong, Rainy?” He whispered, so low only Rain could have heard him. “How do I help you get better?”

The four ghouls continued watching their sick packmate in concern as the quintessence ghouls began bustling around, making sure he was comfortable and making various notes on him.

“You should get some rest,” Astra advised them, laying a reassuring hand on Dew's shoulder, “we can take care of your mate from here. You all look exhausted yourselves, and you'll be no help if you pass out on my floor. I'm sure we'll have him right-as-rain in no time!”

Dew was too stunned by her assumption that they were mates to notice her terrible joke.

“We're not– I'm not –” by the time he had finished spluttering indignantly, face cherry-red, she had already walked off with a serene smile.

Cumulus materialised next to them.

“I can take you to our wing, where Dew's old room is, for tonight? There're some spare rooms made up already in case you came. I can bring you some food and make sure you're not overwhelmed with new faces if you'd like?”

Dew was so relieved by the suggestion of quiet that he could have hugged her, regardless of the suffocation risk her hair posed. He looked at his pack for confirmation, getting a mixture of nods and shrugs, before accepting her offer.

“Thanks Lus, that sounds perfect.”

With a final concerned look back at Rain's prone form on the bed, they solemnly followed Cumulus down the corridor and up a small flight of stone stairs.

“We're very close to the infirmary here,” she remarked, leading them through a large door into a corridor unlike the rest of the building so far. The walls were covered with small pictures and decorations, the doors each engraved with elemental symbols, names, and more. It felt homely.

“The room at the end is our common room, there's snacks and water in there so feel free to explore, but I can't promise it will be empty. This is mine and Cirrus’ room if you need me,” she gestured to a door, painted sky-blue with small engravings of clouds lining the panelling, “and this is Dew's room.” The door was plainer, impersonal, with no real sign that Dew had ever lived behind it.

Entering, they found their saddlebags in a neat pile in the corner of the room. The bag containing Swiss’ beat-up guitar was carefully laid on its side next to them, presumably by a careful Cowbell. No one had been in the mood for it during their trip, and none of them felt so now either. They were all still wearing their own knapsacks, Dew realised as he suddenly felt the weight of the straps pressing heavily on his shoulders. He tossed his into a corner, the others following suit. In the centre of the room was Dew's large bed, a towering pile of blankets for a proper nest stacked high on top. A fire roared in the grate, making the room pleasantly warm.

“I can show you to the spare rooms?” Cumulus hovered in the doorway. That was a force of habit, Dew thought: he had always been wary of others entering his space uninvited. The other ghouls looked uneasy at the suggestion, and Swiss spoke for them all,

“I think we'd prefer to stay together for now, with one of our own sick.”

His competing visions all agreed on one thing: regardless of where they started the night, their sleeping positions would all converge into one pile. Camping together over the last week they had gotten used to each other's proximity and being apart right now, especially with Rain being unwell, felt scary. Besides, the bed was easily bigger than the combined bedrolls they had been sleeping on for the past two weeks.

Cumulus nodded. “I'll run to the kitchens and find you some supper.” Spinning on her heel, she darted away. She was an enthusiastic host, Dew thought, and clearly felt awkward given the strange situation they had found themselves in.

The pack kicked off their shoes and silently slumped to the floor, loath to make the clean bed dirty with their dusty traveling clothes.

“He'll be alright,” Swiss said after a while, “with all those quintessence ghouls looking after him, they're bound to work out what's wrong.”

The mood was sober, all of them trying not to think about what could happen if they didn't figure it out.

“Right Dew, tell us what the situation is with the book,” sighed Aether, “then we can put it behind us.”

Dew looked guiltily into his lap where he was sat with his legs crossed as he explained the situation.

“I mentioned it before, but the way things work here help isn't completely free. They don't ask for payment in gold though, it's in knowledge or time.” The others nodded, remembering vaguely.

“Well, when I was leaving to come and ask if they had any ideas about rescuing Rain, I wasn't sure they'd help for free. It's been a long time since I left, and I did so without telling anyone. I wasn't even here that long, but I got close with the ghoulettes very fast, only to abandon everyone.”

The similarity to his flight northward a few weeks prior wasn't lost on any of them.

“So I grabbed your encyclopaedia before I left, thinking that if they demanded payment, I would have something to give them and could get back to Rain sooner. Then I left it here for them to transcribe, because I figured we were likely to all come back here, but I knew you might not want to stay for long enough to pay it back. Now our debts are cleared, and they can help Rain and we're free to leave as soon as he's better and I'm sorry I didn't ask first but I didn't have time to explain all this, I'm sorry!”

Dew was rambling now; he could tell as he caught his breath. He looked imploringly at his packmates, hoping they would at least understand, if not forgive him. Aether's face softened.

“Oh Dew,” he gave him a small and encouraging smile, “I'm not mad at you, I can see why you took it. You should have told us though! If not at the time, you could have mentioned it sooner, okay?”

Hanging his head, Dew nodded.

“We forgive you, right Mount?”

“Yeah, I get it,” he grumbled, “we'll get it back soon, right?”

“I’ll ask Mist when we see her, she's the head ghoul in the library here, she'll know.” promised Dew.

“Great!” Swiss chirped with forced cheerfulness, glad that conversation was over. The alternative of worrying about Rain was still worse though. “We're all good now, right? No more secrets?”

Dew thought for a second. His whole life was full of secrets, but he thought that was the last of the ones he owed his pack.

“That's everything.” he confirmed.

With that, there was a knock on the door,

“Room service!” came the musical voice from the other side.

“Come in!” Answered Dew, scrambling to his feet.

Cumulus opened the door, and pushed a small cart laden with trays of food through.

“I didn’t know what you wanted, so I grabbed a bit of everything!”

Their mouths watered at the smell; a jumbled mix of cooked meats, melted cheese, a thousand competing spices, and “fresh bread!” Swiss cried in delight.

“I won’t keep you waiting,” laughed Cumulus, seeing the wide eyes of the hungry ghouls, “Riri sends her love, she was wondering if you’d be up for some introductions tomorrow?”

Dew glanced back at the others and saw no objections.

“That sounds good, I’d like to visit Rain first though. See how he’s doing.”

“Of course!” She smiled, her warm breezy smile bringing Dew the same comfort it had all those years ago. “Good night, boys!”

A chorus of “g’night” came from the others, and Cumulus fluttered her perfectly manicured claws in a wave before disappearing back down the hall to the common room.

Dew pushed the cart to the middle of the room, and began unloading covered trays onto the floor between them. They could eat one more meal like this, before returning to the land of tables and chairs. No one spoke as they filled their plates, the only sounds for a while were the quiet moas of appreciation they made, sinking their fangs into proper, varied food. By coincidence, there was not a fish in sight, and none of them were able to feel too sorry about that.

Once they had taken the edge of their hunger, conversation began to flow again. Chiefly of interest were the myriad new faces they had either met, or were soon to meet.

“Cumulus seems nice,” started Swiss, ripping the meat of a steak from the bone as juices ran down his chin, “a lot, but nice.”

“She is,” Dew smiled, “she’s a total sweetheart, but I’m certain she’d delight in tearing any of us limb from limb if we hurt her, or her mate Cirrus.”

“Another air ghoulette?” asked Aether through a mouthful of potato.

“Same clan even. They arrived here together, apparently. Cirrus was the first ghoulette I met, she took me in when I was starving on their doorstep.” Dew paused to shovel more bread into his mouth. “I’m sure you can trade stories of my general incompetence at looking after myself.”

That got a snicker from Aether and Mountain, to Dew’s delight.

“We’re you really that bad?” Swiss asked incredulously.

“Rain with almost no magic was better at surviving in the woods than me,” Dew rolled his eyes good-humouredly at his ineptitude, “at least he could catch his own food. I could start a fire and make myself sick by eating the wrong plants.”

There was another lull while Dew set about stripping every morsel of flesh from a chicken leg; the warm spices nourishing his soul as much as his stomach.

“The ghoul we briefly met earlier, who took our horse to the stables, was Cowbell. No one really knows what element they are, and they don’t talk much, but they've been here forever and they’re loyal to a fault. I like them.”

“You mentioned another multi ghoul before?” Swiss had never met any ghouls of his kind outside of his birth clan before. Multi ghouls were rare and unique, their clans few and far between. The thought of meeting another filled him with excitement.

“Yeah, she’s joined since I left,” Dew smiled at the brief memory of her, a whirlwind of positive energy, “you’ll like her, I’m sure. She’s probably going to become Mist’s mate sooner or later.”

“The librarian?” asked Mountain.

Dew nodded. “You can ask her how the transcription is going tomorrow.”

“And the human?” Aether was curious to meet the mysterious man, who seemed vastly outnumbered in this house of ghouls.

“Papa Emeritus the Fourth, Copia, he’s in charge officially,” Dew confirmed, “he mostly leaves the ghouls to their own devices providing they pull their weight, and he manages the few humans who work and worship here. He’s a busy man, but he’ll want to see you, he always makes time for us ghouls.”

“It’s going to be a busy day for us too,” Aether yawned widely. The food was almost gone, and their exhaustion was starting to hit, “time for bed soon?”

A rumble of harmonising purrs declared that a good idea.

With the plates and trays stashed on the trolley and rolled back into the corridor, the ghouls took turns washing the grime of the road from their bodies. The magically heated water was blissful, but none of them wanted to waste too much time in the bathroom when a plush nest awaited them. There would be ample time to bathe properly tomorrow. Drying off with cloud-soft towels, they grabbed – rather tight for most of them – shirts and underwear from the pile Dew had found still in the dresser and crawled onto the soft mattress. It seemed his room had remained untouched since he left. That was strange given the short time he had lived here; had Cumulus always seen him returning one day?

Dew was the last to leave the bathroom, having changed inside into a shirt and a pair of sleep trousers that could only fit him. He emerged to find Aether and Swiss beckoning him to squeeze in-between them, trapping him in the centre of his old nest. Mountain was behind Swiss, the multi ghoul wearing him like a backpack as they pretended they weren’t clearly cuddling in the flickering firelight.

Before long, he could hear their relaxed snores echoing around the room. Despite his own tiredness, Dew could not sleep. He was worried about Rain: worried about the sudden deterioration of his health; worried that the quintessence ghouls might not work out what had caused it; worried that he may have another nightmare all alone in the infirmary. Aether’s arms felt too firm around his shoulders; Swiss’ too warm. Rain should be here, Rain should be the one he was cuddled with. Even after only a few nights in each other’s arms, Dew felt addicted. What if Rain felt the same? What if he wasn’t able to sleep – he needed to sleep to get better! What if he had another nightmare and Dew wasn’t there to comfort him.

Mind made up, Dew wriggled free of the heavy arms around him and padded for the door. He opened it as quietly as he could, ears pricked for any stray ghoulettes wandering the halls. Judging from the quiet murmur of noise and the light coming from under the common room door, they were still up and talking. On socked feet, he tiptoed out of the dormitory wing and down to the infirmary.

‘I’m coming, Rain.’

Dew rounded the final corner of the stone corridor, slinking into the welcoming, dim glow of the infirmary. Almost everyone was asleep, but the large ghoul stationed at the desk on night duty shot him a smile. Dew thought he recognised him from his time before. He tried to return the greeting, but feared it came out as more of a grimace.

Sneaking behind the curtain around Rain’s bed, Dew was at first hopeful that he was sleeping. He was lying quiet and still, but on closer inspection Dew saw that his eyes were open, staring at the ceiling. Only his extra set of cat-like inner eyelids were closed, keeping his eyes moist but giving him a creepy blank gaze.

The curtain drew back again.

“He’s tired, but not sleeping.” Said the ghoul, entering and pressing two fingers to Rain’s forehead to check on him. He made a note on a chart at the foot of Rain’s bed. “We still don’t know what’s wrong, if anything he seems to be getting less and less responsive.”

Omega, that was his name remembered Dew, pressed a damp flannel to Rain’s dry and chapped lips. He returned it to a bowl on the table beside the bed.

“He shouldn’t get too dehydrated, it’s not good for water ghouls, but he isn’t lucid enough to drink.” Omega explained. “I’ll be popping in periodically to check on him, but feel free to stay as long as you want.”

Dew nodded, hovering awkwardly with the tall ghoul still watching him. Once the curtain closed and he drifted off to his next patient, Dew was able to take a proper look at Rain. His normally pale skin was translucent, almost waxy, and his usually shiny hair fell in limp tendrils around his face. He picked up the flannel, wringing out the excess water and did as Omega had done, carefully wetting Rain’s lips. They twitched slightly, grateful for the hydration, but still Rain made no move to either respond, or drift any closer towards sleep.

With no one around to see, Dew did what his instincts had been screaming at him to do since he was in the ghoul pile in his bedroom: he carefully scrambled up into Rain’s bed, slotting himself behind the icy water ghoul and propping him up against his chest. Dew wrapped his arms around him to begin warming him up, combing his fingers through the ends of Rain’s hair and teasing out the tangles. The water ghoul stirred, leaning softly into his touch, and Dew took that as a signal to continue. He glamoured his claws away and reached up to rake his blunt nails across his scalp and through his hair. Rain's eyes slipped closed and he sank further into his embrace, until Dew had to shift his position to keep supporting the weight of him.

Once his hair was smooth again, although still dry and dull, Dew began braiding it with nimble fingers as Cirrus had once done for him. He revelled in the silky feel of the dark strands passing through his hands; Rain's hair was so pretty, even in its current state. Dew hoped Rain would let him play with it again when he was better, so he could experience the ebony waves in their full beauty. All too soon, Dew had finished weaving Rain's dark strands into two perfect braids that curled from his temples to behind his ears. He hoped it would be enough to protect it from tangling further against the cotton of the infirmary pillowcases.

Dew helped Rain settle back down into the bed, manoeuvring his long limbs into a comfortable sleeping position. He was no quintessence ghoul, but he seemed calmer now and Dew hoped that he would be able to get some much-needed rest. With Rain back under the blankets, Dew wriggled down until he could press his warm nose in-between Rain's shoulder blades and hold him tightly. He waited until Rain's breathing slowed as he fell soundly asleep, before allowing himself to follow.

That was where the others found him the next morning. Swiss had woken first, the sunlight streaming through a crack in the curtains hitting him square in the face. He twisted his head away from it, and let himself luxuriate in the warmth he had awoken to a little longer. Ghoul piles like this were sacred affairs; shared between only the closest of packs. He could probably count on one hand the number he’d had with his pack, never the most affectionate ghouls even at the best of times. They had mostly been on cold winter nights, when no amount of coaxing could make the fire burn hot enough and Dew’s intrinsic warmth was their only respite.

Their piles had never been this close before, however. Swiss found himself almost entirely trapped in the cage of Mountain’s arms, the earth ghoul clinging to him like a lifeline. They were so close, Swiss could feel his heartbeat thudding against his back. It had been so long since he’d woken up like this; so long since he’d been held. He wished he could freeze the moment and stay here forever, safe in Mountain’s arms, in this limbo where he could dream that the giant ghoul was his.

Dew had seemed so certain Mountain felt the same way about him, yet Swiss couldn’t help but think that was too good to be true. He’d never heard Mountain express any desire to find a mate, but then again, Swiss hadn’t exactly talked about such things either. It wasn’t until the traumatic events of the last few weeks that he’d realised his own feelings even. Lying here feeling loved and wanted, Swiss was scared that by voicing his desires, they could risk losing what friendship they did have.

After his conversation with Dew, Swiss had given in to the temptation to see if any of his visions would outline a change in their relationship: be it good or bad. He hadn’t seen anything however; the Void stubbornly refusing to offer him even a hint. Swiss had wondered if he was subconsciously blocking it out again like he had done with Dew during the week he was away, too afraid of a negative outcome. Maybe he’d skirt around the topic and see what Mountain’s reaction was, rather than jumping straight into the big question? This was all a matter for later-Swiss however. For now, he was content to lay where he was and simply imagine.

Eventually, Swiss had to come back to reality. The warm breath on the back of his neck stuttered as Mountain woke, releasing him to stretch strong arms above his head, warm and bare legs pressing against his own. Swiss tried to avoid thinking about that, given their proximity. He feigned sleep for a bit longer, to see what Mountain’s reaction to him world be. To his delight, the earth ghoul recaptured him and snuffled his face into the back of Swiss’ hair.

“You awake, Snapdragon?” he murmured quietly. Swiss pretended to wake, stretching out before pressing back against Mountain’s chest.

“Mm-hmm,” he hummed back, as nonchalantly as he could manage, “g’ mornin’.”

Swiss grinned to himself as Mountain showed no signs of releasing him. Even when Aether yawned and muttered his own sleepy good mornings, the earth ghoul kept him in his grip. He was so comfy, and the bed was warm but not too warm… wait.

“Where’s Dew?” asked Swiss, opening his eyes fully to check for signs of the fire ghoul. He made no move to leave the nest however.

“Wha–” Aether struggled upright, looking around, “he was here last night?”

“He’ll be with Rain,” Mountain spoke as thought it was obvious, his voice muffled by Swiss’s pile of dreadlocks that he refused to move his face from, “they’ll be fine.”

“Should we go and find him?” Aether stumbled out of bed, bare legs almost buckling as he stood up too fast.

The answering groans from the comfortable ghouls still under the blankets rumbled in perfect harmony.

Eventually, the fully-dressed ghouls slumped sleepily into the infirmary, once Aether had successfully guilt-tripped Swiss and Mountain into getting out of bed. They found Dew as he had fallen asleep last night; curled protectively around Rain. A tall quintessence ghoul, clearly on his way out after a shift, nodded at them in greeting as he passed.

Approaching the bed, they saw Rain looking even rougher than he had the night before. They shared a concerned glance, and as they did Dew finally noticed them.

“He’s really cold,” whispered Dew as though to explain their position, while making no move to change it, “but he’s sleeping, which is apparently a good sign.” He didn’t look so sure.

The ghouls kept their silent vigil by Rain's bedside until Cumulus came looking for them.

“I thought I’d find you here,” she smiled warmly, “we’re in the Den having breakfast, if you’d like to join us and make some introductions? Mist is already back in the library with Copia but we can go and bother them afterwards!”

The pack exchanged glances, and Aether spoke for them all,

“That sounds nice. It’s not like we can help Rain by just sitting here.”

“Great!” Cumulus chirped, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “Cirrus and Sunny can’t wait to meet you!”

Dew was reluctant to leave Rain, but knew he had to be there too. Carefully, he released Rain and wriggled free of the bed.

“I still need to get dressed.” He muttered, but followed them back to the dormitories with only one glance back to check Rain was still asleep. Dew hated the thought of leaving him alone in a strange new place; he would be terrified to wake up in such a situation and he imagined Rain would feel the same, so he hoped they could be back before Rain awoke.

Cumulus almost skipped down the hallway ahead of them, the pack travelling with more trepidation. She flung open the door to the common room in their wing, and the ghouls almost didn’t notice the two ghoulettes inside past the loud contents of the room. The walls were the same grey stone as the hallway, only it was barely visible behind the swathes of colourful fabric that had been draped across them. The furniture was a mismatch of colours and fabrics, yet all looked delightfully soft. Trinkets covered every available surface, reminding Dew of Rain’s bedroom back at their farmhouse, with all its pretty rocks and shells. The room lead towards two large windows on the back wall, inset with a myriad colours of stained glass that cast rainbows around the room. One was half-open, leading to a balcony beyond. It screamed home, often a faraway concept to ghouls not living with their birth clans.

Swiss was immediately enraptured; a joyful energy radiated from every corner of the room, fed by the love and thought that went into every part of its contents. He dreamed of living somewhere like this, somewhere he could make his own and fill with happiness and devotion. Their attention landed finally on the two ghoulettes, half-buried in their respective seats. They waved at the newcomers; one restrained and cautious in her actions, the other fizzing with exuberance. On a coffee table in front of them rested mugs of hot tea and piles of more baked goods than they could possibly manage to eat.

Cumulus flopped down into the loveseat next to the ash blonde ghoulette, who reached an arm out around her.

“Welcome back Dew,” she smiled warmly, “and welcome to your pack, too!”

“Hi Cir.” Dew offered her a small smile, before curling into the corner of the old and battered sofa and gesturing for his pack to find seats of their own. Swiss sank into the centre of the sofa, with Mountain beside him while Aether perched on the edge of a deceptively soft armchair that threatened to swallow him whole.

“This is Cirrus,” he figured he should do the introductions, “she’s the first ghoulette I met here.”

“Sunshine,” Dew gestured to the redheaded ghoulette sat cross-legged in a hideous orange velvet rocking chair, “is who you can thank for the plan to get Rain out.”

Sunshine mimed taking a bow, setting the chair oscillating back and forth wildly.

“Everyone, these are my packmates,” Dew looked at them; the ragtag band still slightly dishevelled from their journey, and looking awkwardly out of place in the ghoulettes’ colourful sitting room. He couldn’t have been prouder to call them his pack, “Aether, Mountain and Swiss.”

Conversation flowed slowly but smoothly, as the still-ravenous ghouls devoured the mountain of food in front of them. If they had thought Cumulus was a lot to handle, Sunshine was even more outgoing. Aether found himself warming quickly to Cirrus; two kind and steady personalities drawn together. Dew watched in wonder as his packmates seamlessly interacted with the ghoulettes; even Mountain seemed interested in Sunshine and her work at the Abbey, adapting the greenhouse to grow plants from warmer climates.

“Do you want to meet Mist and Copia too?” asked Cirrus, during a lull in the conversation. After a brief pause for Swiss to snaffle the last fruit bun, they followed her and the other ghoulettes down yet more stone hallways all the way to the other end of the Abbey.

“Dew’s probably told you, but the library is one of the most important rooms here after the Chapel,” Cirrus explained as they walked, “we have the largest collection of books detailing His work here on Earth and in the pit, as well as all manner of literature on the natural world.”

“That’s why Mist is so busy right now,” Sunshine interjected, “she’s leading the transcription of that book the two of you wrote. I haven’t seen Copia so excited by anything in years!”

Aether and Mountain exchanged glances that could only be read as ‘who is this guy?’

Turning another corner, Cirrus stopped in front of a pair of ornately carved oak doors.

“The library.”

She threw open the doors, revealing a large, high-ceilinged room lined with shelves upon shelves of books. In the centre were a cluster of desks, and cosy armchairs seemed to have been dotted wherever there was space. Long and narrow windows tossed columns of morning light across the room, supplemented by many candles that burned with an enchanted, heatless flame. Sat at the desks were half a dozen ghouls, all studiously scribbling on sheets of linen paper. None of them looked up at the disturbance, too engrossed in their work.

Sunshine wriggled past the ghouls blocking the door and skipped over to a ghoulette with cropped white hair, throwing her arms around her from behind while her quill was raised in contemplation.

“Hello Baby,” she cooed in her ear, “we brought you some guests.”

Even from the door, Dew could see the indigo blush reach the tips of Mist's ears. It was funny, he thought, seeing the normally unflappable ghoulette taken down like this. When she looked to the door, Dew wiggled his fingers in a small wave.

“Dew!” she cried, leaping to her feet and accidentally dislodging Sunshine, “I heard you’d come back!”

She swept to the door and pulled Dew, not a tall ghoul by anyone's standards, down to her height in a bone-crushing hug.

“With your pack, too,” she eyed them appraisingly, “your water ghoul is in the infirmary I heard. I’m not surprised, given what those humans put him through.”

Dew nodded, and chose not to explore why hearing Rain described as his water ghoul made his stomach feel strange and fluttery.

“Now,” Mist continued, pointing an accusatory finger at the others, “which of you is responsible for this absolute monster of a text we’ve been holed up in here copying for the last week?”

Swiss immediately pointed towards Mountain and Aether, intimidated by the small but fierce ghoulette. She turned her gaze on them; having to crane her neck to properly look Mountain in the eye.

“Who did the drawings?”

Mountain raised a cautious hand.

“Beautiful,” she stated, “ours aren’t half as good.”

She swivelled to face Aether.

“You.” Narrowing her eyes, she seemed almost ready to square up for a fight. “You wrote the text.”

Aether looked like he wanted to run away. He didn’t see what he could’ve done wrong.

“Why in Satan’s name is your handwriting so damn small!” Mist practically growled at him, throwing her hands in the air in frustration. “It’s incredible work, but we can barely read it without a magnifying glass!”

Lost for words, Aether stumbled back slightly and looked to Dew for backup. Luckily, he was saved from Mist’s exaggerated wrath by Copia emerging from the far doors that led to his office.

“Good morning, dear ghouls!” he called, swishing towards them in his long cassock. “Dewdrop, I am delighted to have you back with us, I trust your young packmate is here safely too, no?”

“Hello Papa,” Dew bowed his head politely, “he is sick in the infirmary, but yes Rain is here. The plan worked perfectly.”

“Ah, I am sorry to hear he is unwell,” the warmth in his eyes was genuine, all the ghouls could see that, “but this must be the rest of your pack!”

The others watched him cautiously, wary of the human stood before them. Swiss was the first to step forward, extending a hand in the human greeting he was most familiar with. Copia clasped it graciously, shaking it twice before raising it and dipping his head to press his lips to Swiss’ dry and cracked knuckles.

“It is a pleasure to meet you…” he paused, waiting for Swiss to supply a name.

“Swiss.” If he was amused by the strange man’s behaviour, he didn’t show it. “Multi ghoul.”

“Then it is a pleasure to meet you, Swiss.” He turned to face the more wary Aether and Mountain,

“You must be the pair responsible for this incredible anthology of regional fauna we are all hard at work on!” He lifted his arms, as though praising them, like the dark Priest they figured he was. “My goodness, it has been many a moon since I saw a work this spectacular, this comprehensive.”

He looked like he was about to embrace them, before thinking better of it and instead going in for more handshakes and kisses.

“Aether,” the quintessence ghoul spoke clearly and professionally, “we thank you for your hospitality.”

"Mountain.” Quieter, hesitant, he accepted the deferent greeting of the Abbey's leader.

“You must meet some of our Earth ghouls! Your knowledge of the southern environment especially will be of tremendous interest to them.”

“How many ghouls live here?” asked Aether, curious.

“It fluctuates, but several dozen ghouls at least call this place home. A few of my own kind too, although we are in the minority.”

“You say the number of ghouls changes,” Mountain spoke with caution in his tone, “does this mean if we chose to stay, we would be free to leave again as we choose?”

“Of course, of course! I would never want to hold any ghoul against their will.” Copia seemed appalled by the suggestion.

“And what payment would you expect if we do stay?”

“For now, nothing. The knowledge in your book that Dewdrop brought to us is more than valuable enough for you to stay here while your youngest recovers. However, if you choose to remain here long term you would be expected to help out in some small way, in the infirmary or the gardens or wherever you feel best suited.”

Dew couldn't blame them for confirming what he had told them. He hoped it would build their trust in the leader to have him acknowledge how life worked here.

“Sunshine here for example,” he patted her on her curly head as she vibrated nearby like an excited puppy, “is helping our Earth ghouls build a tropical climate greenhouse. It is a rare treat, to have a multi ghoul in our midst.” Copia looked at Swiss with a marvelling smile as he spoke.

“Also, I hear you have much experience in dealing with humankind. I understand you may not want to, given recent events,” he winced on their behalf, “but it is one of my goals to spread His message even further with the help of ghouls, His most magnificent creations. That is also a possibility for you to assist me with, if you choose.”

The ghouls shared a glance – none of them especially enamoured with humanity right now.

“Anyway! Come, come. Let me show you how our work is going. We are almost done!”

Copia bustled back over towards the cluster of desks.

“Why did he greet us like we're royalty?” muttered Swiss in Dew's ear as they followed, loud enough for Mountain and Aether to hear, but no one else.

“It's just his way,” Dew murmured back, “he thinks ghouls are the physical manifestation of His Unholiness, and it means we can get away with murder here, sometimes literally.”

They stopped behind an earth ghoul at one of the desks, carefully inking a leafy plant. It was a near-perfect copy of Mountain's own drawing but the lines lacked the organic fluidity and familiarity of the shape Mountain had so easily rendered. Two more ghouls had the book itself open between them, squinting at the tiny text, roughly scribbling it down onto separate sheets for yet other ghouls, Mist included, to write up neatly onto pages to be bound later.

“As you see, we have a very efficient system to ensure we can return original texts that fall into our hands to their rightful owners as soon as possible.” Copia explained. “I am creating the cover to bind it, imbuing it with prayers for longevity in the hope that it may last many generations beyond me.”

As Aether leaned forward over the vacant seat to see the page Mist had been working on, the library doors burst open again with a slam. The young quintessence ghoul they had seen the day before came running in, panting with exertion.

“It's Rain,” he gasped.

Dew took off running without waiting to hear more. Pushing past the quintessence ghoul, he paid no heed to if his packmates were following him or not. He tore along the corridor, the footfalls echoing in his ears blending with the pounding of his heartbeat. In front of the doors to the infirmary he skidded to a stop before throwing himself through them.

Rain was sat hunched over in bed, shaking and hyperventilating with eyes as wide as saucers. The acrid scent of panic filled the air as Dew raced to his side, recognising the signs of another nightmare instantly.

“Rain!” he cried, ignoring the hands that tried to stop him clambering onto the bed to hold the water ghoul. “Please wake up, none of it's real!”

Around him, the ghouls called instructions, Dew ignoring them all in favour of rocking Rain back and forth as his gasps turned into sobs when he woke. He pressed Rain's head to his chest, smothering him in comforting touches. Hands pulled at Dew, dragging him away from Rain so one of the attending ghouls could press their fingers to Rain's forehead, sedating him with a burst of quintosis.

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