#fotl au

[faithinthelambau]

Belongs to Another

Narinder stood at the side of the festivities, watching as the flock took turns dancing around the bonfire. An old tradition to finish out the cooler season before the first warmth, where young families would teach steps to their children, friends formed lines of perfect synchronization, and lovers would come together hand in hand as a sweet confession. He'd witnessed many festivals like this one. Even participated when he was a new crownling under Shamura's watchful eyes.

But this was the first time he had his own flock to host without any aid from his elder siblings. And it was also the first time he himself did not dance with the congregation. But that was fine by him. He was content to observe passively, taking note of all the gentle smiles and bright laughter.

Though he wished someone else would go join them.

"Why not join the dance, Marrock?" he asked. "You do not need to stand at my side."

The dark mauve wolf shook his head. "No. I don't dance. And what's more, I'm meant to act as Guardian. That means I watch. And I wait. And I jump in at the first sign of danger."

"Perhaps, but you're still mortal," Narinder countered. "You do not live a very long life. You should enjoy it."

Marrock shrugged. "I'll live longer than you might think. It has been decided, after all."

Narinder nodded slowly. He'd heard before from the wolf about the prophecy. How Pep, though still inexperienced, would someday join the pantheon of Crown Bearers. And that Marrock would be there by their side. Even so, the two chose to join his sect, and worshiped him as though there was not a looming end to their arrangement. Loyal almost to a fault.

But he didn't mind. He was still a fledgling getting on his own two feet. Even if it were temporary, Narinder was grateful to have them there.

"Indeed. It has been decided, I suppose...." He glanced at the dancers, holding back a laugh as Doris practically began to throw Pep into the air only to catch them. Pep laughed, staggering when their feet returned to the ground, only to be pulled along again. "They look like they're having fun, don't they?"

"....yes. They do."

Narinder glanced at Marrock, raising a brow at the soft expression. "You should tell them."

"Tell them what?" Marrock asked.

"You fancy them, don't you, Marrock?" He nodded toward the duo. "Pepromene."

"I...." Marrock glanced away. "It's....complicated."

"Complicated," Narinder hummed. "You two have been inseparable since the day you met, right? When did it start feeling complicated?"

Marrock didn't say anything at first, simply reaching up and scratching at his left ear. Then, as the songs began to shift, he let out a sigh of defeat. "In truth...I always felt that way about them. From first seeing Pepromene, I felt something in my heart just....grow. We became friends well before Evie told me of my future. Even if I never learned of it, I would have followed them anywhere. The prophecy is simply..... a reassurance. That I am not in fact without purpose. That my place is by Pepromene's side." He chuckled softly. "I would do anything for them. They...they're my reason for living. I truly love them. Most desperately, in fact."

"Then you should tell them."

"I cannot."

"And why ever not?"

Marrock looked back to the dancers, and Narinder saw the wolf's eyes gleam with pitiful acceptance.

"Their heart belongs to another," Marrock stated simply. "And as long as that person is who they care for most in the world, I cannot step between them."

Narinder looked over at the the duo, ears twitching anxiously. "Doris and Pepromene? I mean...I can see why, but-"

To this, Marrock laughed. "No, no. It isn't Doris. Doris does not feel that way towards Pep. And Pep sees Doris more as a big sister."

"Then who, man?" Narinder demanded. "Who has Pepromene's heart and dares keep it from your reach?"

"It matters not," Marrock assured. "I appreciate the enthusiasm, my Lord. But you needn't trouble yourself." He stood tall, his shoulders finally relaxing. "As long as Pep is happy, that is all that matters."

Narinder's tail sharply wagged back and forth. He certainly did not think this was fair at all to one of his most faithful.

Later, when the festival was done and all went to bed, he made note to finish mastering the mind-reading spell Kallamar had taught him. He would fix this, even if it killed him.

[fanofthelamb]

COTL AU MASTER POST!

Hi! This is a WIP. :3 I’m gonna put in all my AUs so people know which Vitas is who!!! Since I’ve been drawing them a lot!

There’s a handful of AUs I have: (Color-Coded for your convenience!)

The Main AU (The Grove)

Beyond the Grove

Mistaken Prophet

The Modern AU

Fannon

And there is a little AU I have with @forbiddenlovecotl where Vitas stays in Lairei's Cult! Not sure what to call it.

The Main AU

The Main AU is just what I call my main story. The one where Vitas is hunted down, killed, and comes back as a vengeful vessel who slays the gods and then brings them back from purgatory! It’s also where a lot of the lore for the other AUs is stored.

Lore Posts:

Vitas’s Dad (Concept)[link soon!]

Tags:(will update as more come)

#fotl lore , #fotl [character], #fotl concept

Beyond the Grove

Beyond the Grove is the AU that takes place in an alternate universe after the games main events. Vitas, unable to cope with the betrayal and refusing the idea of staying a cult leader, decides he wants to explore his options and carve his own path.

Lore Posts:

None… Yet.

Tags:

#btg, #btg [character], #btg concept

Mistaken Prophet

In this AU, a different lamb is mistaken as the lamb to set Narinder free due to Vitas looking too much like his dad to be identified as a lamb. After crossing paths with the other Lamb, Vesta, who is barely able to take down a single heretic on her own, Vitas agrees to join her in crusades to help her take down the bishops on the condition that he’s allowed as much meat and beer as he pleases.

Lore Posts:

None, yet.

Tags:

#mistakenprohpet, #mp [character], #mp concept

The Modern AU

This AU is a silly little thing where the COTL characters live in the modern world. Ghosts and ghouls still exist, and it's Vitas's job to take care of them in whichever means he finds appropriate.

Lore Posts:

None, yet.

Tags:

None, yet.

Fannon

This is just random stuff that isn't really canon to anything. Silly ideas, jokes, doodles where I just do whatever whenever.

Tags:

#fannon

[aughtpunk]

Do you plan on writing another mainly narilamb fic? For either the modern au or forgiveness of the lamb? Like where they’re not just on the side? I love ALL of your writings don’t get me wrong, but I kinda miss how you write them when they’re “center stage”. I wanna know what their relationship is like in present time for FOTL! And would they ever end up having kids of their own? And I would love to know their relationship growth in the modern au as well!

YES!!!

don't you worry Narilamb is still in my heart! I actually have a Board game AU spinoff planned with Narinder and The Lamb because I just couldn't get the pair out of my head. And I still have a fanfic idea for the pair about a totally overwhelmed Narinder being gently taken care of by The Lamb one sense at a time

Also unrelated but it's like... Super hot and muggy in this office normally it's freezing??? Well at least I didn't toss up this time

[beyondthegrove]

A lil intro post for anyone finding my lil' side blog:

Normally I'd do like 324320493204 pics explaining everything and I WAS going to do that, but I think I will put it in plain text so everyone can read it a little easier!!

So, this is my little COTL AU: Beyond the Grove that I've been working on for a little bit! It's really more about having fun making the comic and writing lore about junk than it is about telling a story but there is a loose story it follows. *Does not elaborate.*

Some important things to note:

This comic is 18+/NSFW. Absolutely NO individuals under the age of 18 should be reading this comic.

This comic is planned to contain material that some viewers might find disturbing or triggering (CW list will be at the bottom of this post and be updated as needed with page postings!)

This material is HEAVILY canon divergent. Canon? We do not know her. She does not go here.

I'm not much of a writer so this is probably gonna be kind of a shit comic. If you're here to read something life changing, turn back now. This is just the insane chicken scratches of a guy who does not know how to put down a tablet pen.

Comic pages probably won't be updated on a schedule or frequently. I am a bit slow when it comes to comics and stuff and I get distracted a LOT.

Asks are CLOSED on this blog, but will occasionally open. If you cannot wait or just want to post something silly before asks open, you can either tag fanofthelamb in a post or just send an ask there! :)

CW LIST:

[None as of right now.]

If there's a CW you want included that isn't on here, always feel free to drop a reply with the warning you'd like or send an ask to FOTL! CW requests are welcome and encouraged if you think a necessary one has been missed!

And one last note: As soon as I get 3 pages up I'll be posting about it on my FOTL, so if you're here before then... Welcome, welcome, welcome!! Thank you for your patience!! :) I'll be posting crumbs until then on here!!

[dnfao3tags]

DNF Reclist - Socmed AU / Chatfics

how is it i've never done a reclist for this before

— flirting on the timeline by cloudfarmer (teen | comp. | 44k)

Dream is a popular Minecraft Youtuber and George runs a stan account for him on Twitter. After George replies to one of Dream's tweets with a jokingly flirtatious proposal, it quickly turns into a lot more than George was expecting when Dream publicly accepts.

Part 1 of fotl universe

— this time it's a tweet cute by Owlwinter (teen | comp. | 12k)

in which George is the Twitter Description Man, and Dream is the perpetually-trending Minecraft youtuber he has a love-hate relationship with.

— promiscuous by Anonymous (mature | comp. | 2k)

the story of what happens when struggling college student george meets user 'dreamwastaken' in a loud cs:go lobby.

— dreaming of you when i'm alone by aestheticzjm (expl. | comp. | 4k)

or the one in which dream and george are strangers that meet on an anonymous online chatroom.

— got your brain fizzin' like cola by nervouswaltz (teen | comp. | 6k)

Dream's job is entirely uneventful. He manages a social media account for a billion-dollar company, plays too much Minecraft to be healthy, and gets to make several sexual innuendos and get paid for it. It's all very simple. Until the official Twix Twitter account replies to him, and things snowball. Just a little bit.

— [message redacted] by justyouraverageloser (NR | comp. | 20k)

Dream gets a girl's number and thinking he hit the jackpot, texts it as soon as he gets home. Who knew it wasn't hers, and who would've ever thought he'd get attached to this person he doesn't even know the name of?

[storm-of-silver]

MASTERPOST

Where to start?

OVERVIEW OF THE WIP! Contains the basic premise and lore, start here first!

Colony Overview, basic descriptions and info about all of the old colonies.

Vocabulary, includes common words I'll be using (like denning or tall one) plus all the colony ranks.

The Allegiances, has all the characters as well as some basic info on who they are and their roles in the story.

The Sacred Decree, the laws the colonies follow. They are split in two categories: The divine laws, which one needs to follow to enter the afterlife, and the colony laws, the laws all the colonies follow out of respect for one another.

Specific Lore Entries

The Seasonal Trials, explains the main tradition surrounding commanders and the exchange of leadership.

Trainees and Teachers, explains a trainee's training, their freedoms, and the relationship between their teacher's denning and their own denning.

The Goat, the Exiled God. The Goat created humanity, and was banished from the pantheon, exiled to live only among the dreams of mortals.

Clothes, a quick entry on how I approach clothes, accessories, and bags in the Final Light setting.

Character Entries

Call of Dreams, the prophet who tried to warn the colonies of the Final Light before it happened. The colonies believed she was lying, ignoring her pleas to listen. Many in the Neverlight Era see her as a saint or as a demon, depending on who you ask.

The Dreamkin, who she stole to save their lives. Each kit has a different opinion and outlook on their mother, largely reflecting how the forest as a whole sees her. (Will make individual cards for)

Talon Of Hawk (ASK), who sacrificed his home and family to save his colony. (Will eventually make a character card for)

Commander of Ash, the commander of the Colony of Mist and the cat who ordered the collapse of the cave entrances- burying his colony under rubble and rock to save them.

Polarbear, one of the dual leaders of the Followers of the Lynx, who has manipulated his faction into hoarding their fragment from the world.

Slate, one of the dual leaders of the Followers of the Lynx, was born by blood to rule the Followers, despite his lack of support due to his cold nature.

Song of Marigold, the cat who spoke against Call of Dreams and drove her from the festival. One of the founders of the Dreamers, and is extremely manipulative and vengeful, especially towards Call of Dreams.

Location Entries

Commander's Maw, in the Colony of Mist.

Important Tags

#Final Light / #wip - All posts for the final light project.

#Colonies of Old, #Neverlight Era - Posts referring to before and after the Final Light respectively.

#Colony of Bones, #Colony of Fireflies, #FotL, #City Cats, etc - Posts about their respective factions.

#Characters - Posts talking about the specific characters of the project.

#Warrior Cats AU - Despite NOT being an AU of Warrior Cats (I am trying to separate the two), all FL content will still be tagged as such, alongside the Warriors tag. This is simply because people who enjoy Warriors will likely enjoy this project as well!

[paintpaintpaintman]

I LOVE YOUR THINGS AND YOUR IDEAS AND THE AUS AND THE FOTL LORE AND THE NARINDER LORE

I just went through your entire blog looking for more of your art!! Loved your work!!! I have a question though, in ur au does the lamb and narinder end up falling in love or is it one sided? Since the lamb married narinder to humiliate him, how does he react to the "humiliation " ??

HIIII IM USING THIS AS AN EXCUSE TO RAMBLE ABOUT MY NARILAMB PAIRING ENJOY THE ABSOLUTE NOVEL IM ABOUT TO DROP!!!!!!!

vvv Including a SHITLOAD of Pics <3 vvv

Actually, they’ve been in love for a long time! Narinder was the one who fell first, and was NOT shy about showing the lamb.

REST BELOW THE CUT!!!

Of course the lamb didn’t care at first. In fact, they were trying to have ANY of Narinders bullshit. They were here to kill their executors and everyone else could get fucked, honestly.

He DID eventually win the lamb over. They were still extremely shy about it, being able to see the obvious problems that came with having a relationship with their god, but YOLT, right?

Now, though, it’s still reciprocated. The lamb is still angry at Narinder for asking them to lay down their life, and is happily taking it out on him! Depending on the AU, whether it be my main blog and it’s interpretation of the lamb or my BTG AU, it really depends. FOTL I do really have plans for the lamb to at least soften up on Nari, BTG explores the lamb being unable to let go of what happens and letting it and the crown lead them down a path they can’t turn back from. Very fun either way!!

The marriage thing had the OPPOSITE effect of what the Lamb was hoping for. To give context; the lamb and Narinder are “married” before he leaves his chains (the lamb will DENY the hell out this though + comics about that still in progress) so when the lamb married him again, he completely misinterpreted the marriage as the lamb telling him They still loved him instead of it being a punishment, even with the lambs threats after the ceremony. It’s his strongest piece of evidence that the lamb is just pissed and needs a LOT of time to cool down. He is right, but no one believes him. Especially with how the lamb acts towards him.

The "humiliation" of the marriage failed terribly, and the lambs attempts to torment him fail just as badly. Any time the lamb tries showing affection though, that is when Narinder is truly terrified.

So... The "humiliation" they try to put him through never works but when they have a tiny moment of weakness that fucker's whole life flashes before his eyes skDASKHGFFJH

n e way... YEA!!!!!!!!!!!!! PLEASE ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TY FOR THE ASK <33333

[fandomandangstlover]

FOTL Soldier <3

I made a Ref for hvm!!!!! Lookie!!!!

i need to do more with my FF2/TF2 AU,,

Hvm without Helmet !!!♡ ↓

He's so cute havsvzhauvw

[nickguilera]

So there’s this sketch I’ve been working on for a FotL vendor I came up with from my ramblings in a friend’s server for their destiny Au and today was the one few days my depression wasn’t as bad so I can stop distracting myself from it via video games n shit and have motivation to do other things so I really wanted to finishing today cause shit I’ve been telling myself and others “it’s almost done/gonna be finished soon” etc. for awhile and I’ve been feeling bad for not actually finishing it for the aforementioned reasons,lack of self motivation, and just not having time to do so.Anyways was looking forward to finishing it today but nope we got family coming over for a cookout and I get social burn out very quickly and easily so yup there’s goes the motivation and me wanting to finish the sketch

[mezitli33]

MEINVZ FOTOS KOSTENLOS DOWNLOADEN

Was ist eine Host Datei? Hilfe, mein Leben ist eine Daily-Soap! Freu Vielen Dank, das Problem habe ich jetzt schon seid Monaten und auch mir konnte niemand helfen, endlich kann ich bei StudiVZ wieder Bilder sehen, die waren einfach weg, bzw. Piraten können keinen Kreis berechnen, weil sie Pi raten! Nein, ich habe keinen Besuch:

Name: meinvz fotos Format: ZIP-Archiv Betriebssysteme: Windows, Mac, Android, iOS Lizenz: Nur zur personlichen verwendung Größe: 34.77 MBytes

Ich hab ne Idee. Software, Anleitungen Mediathek downloaden. Lass mich 5 min mit dieser Hose allein, und sie passt mir Lass mich Arzt, ich bin durch! Endlich etwas zu diesen Thema gefunden. Hier erfährst du, wie es funktioniert. Anleitungen MeinVZ Passwort vergessen. Additionally, comments such as these may be inserted on individual lines or following the machine name denoted by a meinbz ‚ symbol.

Endlich mal den richtigen Tipp gefunden. Hol mir mal was zu trinken, du wirst schon wieder hässlich Hurra!!!

meinVZ | Fotowettbewerb – Dein Foto auf der Loginseite

Leider haben sich alle drei Social Networks entschieden, die Anzeige der Bilder zu modernisieren und somit ist es leider nicht mehr möglich, die Bilder einfach zu downloaden. Der frühe Vogel kann mich mal! Bis jetzt hab ich mich aus nostalgischen Gründen nicht dazu durchringen können, mich dort zu löschen.

Der frühe Meunvz fängt Einige sind Vollidioten Nudeln machen ist auch „kochen“! Mein Sportplan besteht in erster Linie aus Regenerationsphasen! Lass uns was kochen Mal biste der Baum, mal biste der Hund – so ist das im Foto Was ist eine Fotls Datei?

Versuche mich zu ändern. Mein Filmriss war länger als deine ganze Party Ich seh“ hier nirgends Pferde!? Ja, ihr habt richtig gelesen, es mrinvz tatsächlich um Studivz. Frohe Ernte war das beste an studivz. Ihr habt mich 3x fallen lassen!

Keinverzeichnis / meinVZ

Piraten können keinen Kreis berechnen, ftos sie Pi raten! Meine Haare feiern nachts ohne mich ne Party Meine Vorlesungszeiten kollidieren mit meinen Schlafzeiten Mensch wart ihr besoffen! Ich singe bei Liedern auch die Instrumente mit Ich spreche zu schnell? Nicht alle Männer sind Idioten.

Description

Gibts da tatsächlich noch aktive leute? Ein Hinweis für Besucher, am Besten hier anmelden, damit man Nachrichten auch direkt zurück schreiben kann, um Probleme auch schnell zu lösen. Was Sie auch zum Thema interessieren könnte Ratgeber. Warum es passiert ist bei my Sister ist mir auch egal, hauptsache es läuft wieder, Danke. meinv

Still studying?

Auch ein angeblicher IT Fachmann konnte mir nicht weiterhelfen und empfahl eine komplette Neuinstallation, was für ein Schwachsinn. Was ist denn da los?

Sorry Hey, die Sonne scheint, da werd ich mal meijvz kurzen Hosen fernsehn Hier vergammelt ein Genie Hilfe, gleich ist Morgen und ich hab noch nicht geschlafen!! Wir bekommen einige hundert Anfragen im Monat und können diese nicht nebenbei alle bewältigen.

Der Name für den Grafikserver wurde nur fotoa mehr aufgelöst msinvz zwar auch nur der. Die Freizeit darf unter dem Studium nicht leiden! Die letzte Antwort auf dieses Thema liegt mehr als Tage zurück.

StudiVZ geht wieder, Bilder werden wieder angezeigt. Jaaaaaaahhhhhh, es klappt, grins Sobald man einen Speicherort gewählt hat, ist das Bild nun auf der eigenen Festplatte.

Ich blinke nicht, weil“s dich gar nix angeht, wo ich hin will!!! Each entry should be kept on an individual line.

The post MEINVZ FOTOS KOSTENLOS DOWNLOADEN appeared first on Mezitli.

source http://mezitli.info/meinvz-fotos-90/

[faithinthelambau]

Okay. I'm home. Time to talk about "Faith in the Lamb" AU.

So the "Faith in the Lamb" AU technically starts in full post-game as of the Unholy Alliance DLC (though future DLC will be adapted into it), and picks up the day after the sudden snowfall/flash freeze in the Fishing animated short.

The Cult has grown considerably in size, to the point that they're starting to run out of space in their camp. As a result, the Lamb decides to go on a Crusade to parts of the Island that are either uninhabited or have been long forgotten, in hopes of finding a larger place they can eventually call home.

Along the way, the Lamb ends up learning more about Narinder's life with the other Bishops, as well as his cult and the experiments that Narinder actually performed in order to master Life and Death alike. And during these events, the faith that the people of the Island have in the Lamb is tested once again.

There will also be many, many OCs. Here's the shadows of the first four I've done edits for.

So yeah. That's the FOTL AU so far. Thanks for hearing my ramble.

Feel free to ask questions if you're interested. I'm hoping to start posting more about this AU soon.

[faithinthelambau]

Got some more edits done.

[faithinthelambau]

Name: Dantalion Follower Form: Demonic Deer Pronouns: Any Affiliation: Unknown (Current), Cult of the Pink Crown (Former) Position: Witness

Story: A creature who observes all, Dantalion was once the loyal witness to Evie and the Pink Crown. They say nothing unless they feel they have something important to say. Often seen before great changes. They vanished from the Lands of the Old Faith when the Pink Crown disappeared.

Now they have returned, wandering the Lands as the frost becomes widespread.

Legends say that petting his antlers will cause romance to bloom between couples.

[faithinthelambau]

Name: Marrock Follower Form: Purple Wolf Pronouns: He/Him Affiliation: Cult of the Lost One (current), Cult of the One Who Waits (former), Cult of the Fanatic (former) Position: Guardian

Story: Hatched from a Silver Egg and raised in (what is now referred to as) the Cult of the Fanatic, Marrock was a child who always felt he was directionless and that he had no reason to live but to act as sacrificial fodder for the Gods. And he felt that way until the arrival of Evie, a travelling prophet and the bearer of the Pink Crown. Evie had given Marrock a prophecy; he would be the guardian and first follower to the future bearer of her crown, her adoptive child Pepromene. Following this, Marrock felt a renewed sense of purpose, and began to train himself in combative arts and medicine so he could fulfil his role when the time came.

Shortly after he came of age, however, Evie lost her godhood, her crown lost to the winds, and was slated to be used as a sacrifice at the hands of the Fanatic. At Evie's request and the child's protests, Marrock took Pepromene, who had inherited their adopted mother's gift of prophecy, and escaped the Cult during the sacrificial ceremony, leaving Evie to die.

After travelling for weeks on end, the two eventually came into contact with the newest bearer of the Red Crown, a cat by the name of Narinder, and joined his Cult as one his first followers. The two spent time in his care, feeling it to be a true home. Marrock served both as Pepromene's bodyguard and as the head of Narinder's personal enforcers during the war of the Gods. There, he lived a fulfilled life.

Eventually, however, the Five Bishops of the Old Faith began fighting amongst themselves, and Marrock learned from Pepromene that the war would end with Narinder falling to his siblings in combat, and that a long slumber awaited the remnants of the Cult of the One Who Waits.

When Master Narinder was finally locked away, Marrock and Pepromene took their fellow survivors and went into hiding, eventually falling into an enchanted crystal cavern and being frozen in time.

Now, a millennia later, their frozen slumber has ended, and the Pink Crown has made itself at home upon Pepromene's head. Marrock now stands by their side as their first loyal follower, and swears to protect his Master and their crown, acting in their name until his dying day.

[faithinthelambau]

Another day, another round of edits. New friends are to be revealed.

[faithinthelambau]

Already Been Decided

Steady breaths. Count to three. Thrust. Thrust. Slice. Gentle spin. The wooden dummies were carefully carved off their stands and chopped into perfect kindling for the upcoming bonfire. Pep had been busying themself with training for several hours. Though you wouldn't think it, given how much their visage lacked any sign of exhaustion.

Or any true visage at all.

Narinder watched from afar, observing their movements as they struck down the training dummies. Pepromene had only joined them a year ago, and already had become an indispensable member of his flock. He couldn't imagine going through the mundane boredom of record keeping without their aid anymore.

Admittedly, he'd been hesitant to let them join his congregation at first. The symbol of the Pink Crown upon their closed hood made him keep the young prophet at a distance. Because, after all, it would someday be his duty to reap the souls of all the First Ones. And once upon a time, he'd been certain that it included the bearer of that crown.

He hadn't anticipated learning that this particular soul had already been reaped by his predecessor.

Nor had he anticipated learning how keen the young prophet's own visions could be.

They had been struck in the back in battle with followers of the God of the Hunt. An oversight on his part. He'd been so focused on combat with the vessel that he hadn't noticed the bat with a blade coming up behind him.

But Pep had known. Had seen it in a vision. Him being wounded in battle, their entire force wiped out. His crown forcibly taken by the Hunting God's vessel. At least, that is what the small prophet claimed once they'd returned to camp, before passing out from blood loss.

Pep had been training on their own nonstop since they left the medical bay last week. And every time, Narinder had felt the need to follow and watch over them.

Once Pep stopped moving their weapon, Narinder stepped out from his hiding place. "You're getting better at that."

Pep stiffened, turning to gaze at him through the sheer eye holes of their hood. Despite the lack of expression visible, Narinder could tell they were surprised. It was the subtle movements of the fabric when they turned. And he could almost swear the pink of the hood would darken or lighten with emotion.

"My Lord," Pep greeted calmly. "I was not expecting to see you out here. You shouldn't be wandering outside the camp at this hour. It isn't safe."

"Strange," Narinder hummed. "I believe I should be saying that to you." He glanced at the weapon. A glaive that gleamed in the moonlight, with a dark, black wood handle inscribed with runes. "I've been meaning to ask-"

"It was Mother's."

"Ah. I see."

Pep looked away, shuffling on their feet. "You need not fear for my health and safety, My Cat. So long as Mother's cloak remains on my body, I cannot die."

He nodded. "Perhaps. But that does not mean you can recklessly throw yourself into danger."

"On the contrary," Pep said, "as I cannot do other tasks around camp very well. You know I am terrible at cooking, and I have no skill with children or basic housekeeping. There's little else I'm good for than being a meat shield...."

Narinder's tail twitched sharply, and he could not resist the urge to reach out. He closed his fist, and gave the prophet a firm, yet gentle, smack on the top of their head.

"Ow!" Pep looked at him, cloak darkening. "What was that for?!"

"My administrator was demeaning themself. They needed correcting." Narinder smirked. "You have the best penmanship in camp. And your visions do aid us well. When you actually permit me to hear what they have to say."

"They are not your burden to bear, Leader. They are mine."

"On the contrary," he argued, "as I am responsible for every member of my congregation, no matter how small and insignificant they may feel they are. Therefor, your burdens are mine to bear. Do not forget your place."

Pep stared at him quietly, before turning around and beginning their training again. "In that case, I need to improve in all my skills. So that I may not burden you further."

"Pep-"

"I will master combat, and I will master my visions. And once I do, you can utilize them to see your dreams turned reality." The glaive spun over their head, before coming down to slice another dummy in half. "And your dreams will become realized, Leader. It has already been decided."

A chill ran up Narinder's spine as he continued to observe Pep's training.

For a moment, he could have sworn he'd seen a smile through the fabric.