#two whumpees

[whumppromptoftheday]

two whumpees meet by accident and become more confident in public again. as they spend more time out in the open, whumper has a chance to get both of them back

[mj-iza-writer]

In honor of the 4th of July fireworks going around my house... it sounds terrifying out here.

Caretaker watched Whumpee dip their cookies in milk.

It was noisy around the house with everyone celebrating, and Caretaker made sure to get Whumpee's noise canceling headphones on them as soon it started.

They heard their phone ring in the kitchen so they quickly got up.

"Hello this is Caretaker... how can I help?"

"C.. Caretaker", a voice shakingly whispered.

"Oh Lawrence, are you alright?", Caretaker frowned.

"N-no", they answered, "I-I can't.... these fireworks... the flashbacks are really strong", they answered.

"Okay Lawrence, I'm coming to get you okay, I'll be right over. Pack an overnight bag, I'll bring you here for as long as you need", Caretaker went and grabbed Whumpee.

"So what is happening?", Whumpee pulled one of their ear covers up.

"Do you remember Lawrence?", Caretaker hurried through the neighborhood.

"Yes sir", Whumpee nodded.

"Well they are a veteran, who fought in a big war", Caretaker watched as Whumpee looked at some fireworks, "and do you know how you have flashbacks sometimes from what happened to you?"

"Yes sir", Whumpee nodded.

"Sometimes Lawrence and others may have flashbacks from those days that they served. These fireworks sound like explosions sometimes. They have a PTSD response like your therapist calls it", Caretaker waited for a car to slowly past, "you could go a little faster bud", Caretaker mumbled under their breath, "I got a war veteran and a trauma victim I need to get to safety."

"Are they alright?", Whumpee whispered with concern.

"They called, that's why we are going to get them", Caretaker turned into the driveway, "I'll be right back."

Whumpee nodded and watched Caretaker get out.

Caretaker led a person out of the house and to the car. They were wrapped in a blanket.

Whumpee could hear them sobbing before they even got into the car.

"Lawrence, I'm going to get your bag and keys, I'll make sure the door is locked", Caretaker whispered.

The person nodded and quickly covered their ears.

"I'm not there... I'm not there.... I'm not there", Whumpee heard them whisper reassuringly to themself.

They pulled their noise canceling headphones the rest of the way off and gently rubbed Lawrence's shoulder.

The person jumped and looked back at them with a horrified face.

"Sorry", Whumpee whispered, "loud sounds make me have flashbacks to. These will cancel out most of the noise."

Lawrence looked at Whumpee for a few moments before reaching for the ear covers.

"Th-thankyou", they shakingly put them on.

Caretaker got in and looked at them both before taking off.

"Whumpee I have another pair of those at home for them. They'll be a little bigger and more comfortable. Then you'll get yours back",

Whumpee nodded.

Caretaker gently led Lawrence into the house. Whumpee followed quickly behind. A loud bang put a little pep in their step.

"Mmm", Whumpee muffled a yelp.

"Okay, let's get you both settled", Caretaker gave a concerned look to Whumpee.

Caretaker settled Lawrence onto the living room couch. They grabbed a bigger pair of headphones, and quickly switched them out.

Whumpee excitedly put their pair back on.

The curtains were drawn closed.

Whumpee went back to their cookies and a fresh cup of milk Caretaker served them.

Lawrence was not ready for a snack at the moment. They had settled a little now.

Lawrence looked at Caretaker sadly.

They lifted one of the ear covers, "I-I'm so sorry for calling you like that. I-I didn't know what else to do", their lip quivered, "I couldn't..."

"Hey, it's okay", Caretaker walked over to them, "I told you whenever you needed me, I would help you. I am happy to help you as much as you'll let me. I wish that you'd let me help you more, but I don't push it."

Lawrence nodded.

"You can stay here as long as you need to. It is hard to be alone and to deal with these traumas", Caretaker patted Lawrence's knees, "I am here to help you."

Lawrence watched as Whumpee happily played with a puzzle.

They took down the ear covers again right when a loud firecracker went off. They jumped off of the couch.

"You know those work better when they stay on your ears", Caretaker helped them back down onto the couch.

"I-I'm sorry", they shook, "I wanted to ask about them though. They said loud sounds affect them as well, and I know you take care of trauma victims. What happened to them?"

"Oh, a lot of things", Caretaker frowned, then looked at Whumpee, "I forgot you haven't met them yet. It has been a while since you've been over. I can't really talk openly about what happened to them."

"Classified?", Lawrence frowned.

"Not really, but it's uh... just not something I like to talk about", Caretaker frowned, "it's uh... a lot of things happened to them."

"But they're smiling?", Lawrence frowned.

"Well it's not always like this. Right now they are relaxed. They trust that I have full control of what's around them", Caretaker smiled, "they go to a therapist... hint.. hint."

"I know you are big into therapist, but I'm not sure about that yet", Lawrence frowned, "I've thought about it, I really have, but I don't know."

"Well if you ever decide to, I will happily come with you if you want", Caretaker stood, "go ahead and get comfortable."

Caretaker gently tapped on Whumpee's shoulder.

"I see you are getting sleepy, and it is bed time", Caretaker gently smiled.

Whumpee yawned sleepily and nodded.

"Do you want to be in your bed tonight, or you could sleep down here on that couch", Caretaker pointed, "Lawrence has already fallen asleep so I'm going to sleep down here in my chair so they won't be alone."

Whumpee looked at the couch, then at Lawrence snoring away.

"May I stay down here with you", Whumpee whispered.

"Yes of course you can", Caretaker smiled, "go ahead and get ready for bed. I'll get the couch ready for you."

Whumpee came down to the living room and found Caretaker placing their pillow on the couch.

"It looks so comfy", Whumpee smiled, "are you sure you'll be okay on your chair?"

"Yes Whumpee that chair is very comfortable", Caretaker smiled while they guided Whumpee onto the couch, "plus I'd rather be ready if either of you need me", they watched as Whumpee laid down, and covered them with a blanket.

Whumpee smiled as Caretaker placed their stuffed toy under the blanket.

"Thankyou", Whumpee whispered.

"You're welcome", Caretaker smiled, "do you want the headphones back on?", they got down and knelt beside Whumpee.

"No thankyou", Whumpee looked at them happily.

Caretaker softly carded through Whumpee's hair a few times while whispering a few gentle words.

They didn't realize Lawrence had been squinting at them. Watching.

They quickly closed their eyes when Caretaker stood. They felt someone come over and adjust their blanket.

Lawrence saw the light was turned off. All that was on was a nightlight now.

Caretaker got comfortable in their chair and took a second to listen to their guest.

Whumpee made small snores already, they were on their way to a good night of rest.

Caretaker could hear that Lawrence was breathing. They weren't snoring like earlier, and hoped they hadn't disturbed them to much while getting Whumpee settled.

Soon though Caretaker was asleep.

Lawrence laid in the dark. It was peaceful here, what they wouldn't give to have to have peace like this.

In the morning Lawrence woke up and looked around. They remembered quickly that they weren't home.

They could hear someone in a different room. The headphones had gotten knocked off during the night.

Whumpee still slept on the couch nearby.

They got up and followed the voice until they found Caretaker in the kitchen.

"Hey goodmorning", Caretaker smiled at them when they came in, "how did you sleep?"

"I slept well, thankyou so much for bringing me here and letting me... well you know", Lawrence sighed.

"You're welcome", Caretaker nodded, "I made coffee. Would you like some?"

"Oh yes please", Lawrence nodded.

"Okay go ahead and take a seat at the table", Caretaker pulled out a cup, "I was thinking, would you like to know a little more about Whumpee? I have a journal that you can look at. It talks a little about their first month here. There's also pictures. It will turn your stomach though."

"I was watching you both last night... just a little. What I wouldn't give to have peace like you both have", Lawrence took the cup of coffee, "thankyou."

"Well I know I sound like a broken record, but we both go to therapy. We both receive help through that", Caretaker sat down with a cup of coffee, "it does help."

"You see a therapist even?", Lawrence smirked.

Caretaker nodded, "everyone should see one. At least that's my belief. With everything I see here and my patients. I go to see one because as a caregiver I can easily allow my patients' pain to become mine. If I'm not careful, that could greatly impact my mental and physical health. Therefore, that would impact my patient's care and my job."

Lawrence seemed to understand a little but they seemed to be uncertain still.

"Can I at least show you a picture from that journal? I wouldn't blame you if you don't want to see and read all of it, but just one picture?", Caretaker stood when Lawrence nodded.

Caretaker carried out a book and set it on the table. They opened it to the first page.

"Pictures like these are taken by the police and investigators. These are when Whumpee was first rescued", Caretaker turned one more page.

Lawrence saw it.

"That's not Whumpee?", Lawrence frowned, "please tell me that's not them."

"It is", Caretaker sighed sadly, "that's them."

"How long ago was this?", Lawrence frowned, "I honestly wasn't expecting... that."

"No one really does", Caretaker agreed, "especially with how Whumpee acts. Don't get it wrong. They have hard days. They have days where they show just how much trauma they've gone through. Then they have days when they are happy to be alive."

"I guess I understand that", Lawrence nodded, "okay you talked me into it. Who's the therapist then?"

An appointment was scheduled by the time Whumpee woke up. Caretaker helped and promised to go with Lawrence if they wanted.

After breakfast, Lawrence was ready to go home. Caretaker let them keep the noise canceling headphones as well.

"I'll get more of them soon", Caretaker grinned at Whumpee, "please don't be afraid of calling me. If you need help just ask... I am more than ready to help you."

"Thankyou Caretaker so much for helping me", Lawrence smiled, "thankyou Whumpee for helping me as well."

"You're welcome", Whumpee smiled.

Lawrence's heart hurt for how happy someone could seem after going through what Whumpee had.

"Thankyou again", Lawrence nodded.

Taglist. As always please let me know if you want to be added or taken off of the list. It's not a problem at all.

@villainsandheroes @the-beasts-have-arrived

@sacredwrath @porschethemermaid

@monarchthefirst @generic-whumperz

@bloodyandfrightened @freefallingup13

@notpeppermint @cyborg0109

@idontreallyexistyet @painfulplots

@whumpbump @everythingsscary

@skittles-the-whumpee @expressionless-fr

@theforeverdyingperson @legendarydelusiongoatee

@candleshopmenace @whumpanthems

@lavndvrr @ivymyers

@starfields08000 @a-living-canvas

@lumpofsand @watermeezer

@indigoviolet311 @whumpy-mountains

@3-2-whump @risk606

@electrons2006 @paperprinxe

@whumprince @kaz-of-crows

@mis-graves @decaffeinatedtimetraveler94

@sausages-things @sunglasses-in-the-bentley

[whumpandothercomfort]

Classic two-whumpee prisoner setting where Whumper keeps both in line by punishing the other when they act out. One day Whumpee A makes a desperate bid for escape and gets caught. They're already begging Whumper not to hurt B despite knowing it's fruitless. Whumper drags B over and then presents A with three items: a cattle prod, a whip, and a choke collar on a short chain.

"Choose which two I'm using," Whumper tells A, "or I'll use all three."

[reid-whump]

How To Punish Two Whumpees:

(Send asks for more prompts)

Chain the weakest/youngest one to a place just out of the stronger/oldest one’s reach and force them to watch as their partner slowly fades away, only to be revived at the last minute. Imagine them going through all stages of grief in five minutes because of how frail the other whumpee is.

Put them in seperate rooms where they can’t see each other at all, and force them to choose every week who gets which necessities (food, warmth, comfort etc). Bring them back together at the end of the month and see who is worse off.

If you can tell one of them is more protective of the other, punish them by carving the other whumpee’s initials into their skin, in a place where you know the other whumpee will notice it. Watch how they react to seeing their partner/friend’s sadness and knowing they caused it.

Force them to watch the whumpee who did nothing wrong get beaten until on the brink of death, and wait for them to finally offer themselves up because they can’t take it anymore. (Oldie but a goodie)

Give one an ice cold bath, and give one a boiling bath. Experiment by tasing then both and seeing how their reactions differ.

[courtneygacha]

Whump Prompt 3#!

Two Whumpees that care for each other.

It starts when Whumpee A becomes so stressed out about work/school/whatever, that Whumpee B starts having to be their reminder to eat, drink water, sleep, shower. Because if they weren’t there, Whumpee A would be dead in a matter of days with how little they take care of themselves.

However, because Whumpee B is so focused on making sure Whumpee A’s needs are met, they don’t remember to take care of their own, and it’s only until Whumpee B becomes so weak and malnourished and exhausted that they faint in Whumpee A’s arms when they realize “Hm, maybe I need a reminder too.”

The two work together to keep each other from dying. They’re like Tamogotichis!

[short-form-whump]

It feels as though the world around the Whumpee has slammed on its brakes, giving them tunnel vision as they sit and stare at the scene before them. They feel a tight pressure across their chest as their breath refuses to move either in our out as the sight of what the Whumper has just done to the other Whumpee. Unbound in their chair but no less frozen in place, they stare in abject horror as the Whumper walks away from the other bloodied Whumpee on the ground who had just been sitting beside them just moments ago. The Whumper calmly tucks their shirt back into their pants and examines their knuckles, giving an air of someone who has just helped someone pop their hood on the highway, not someone who very well might have just committed murder. They notice the stricken Whumpee watching them and approaches. Their words sound underwater to the Whumpee at first, only breaching their brain when they come paired with crouching to meet the Whumpee’s eyeline and a hand rested on their shoulder. “You ok?” the Whumper asks again, the words finally hitting the Whumpee’s ears. “Take a breath,” they coach. The Whumpee’s eyes tear away from their peer on the ground to meet the Whumper’s face, and they begin to nod uncontrollably. “I’ll do it,” they suddenly start to say. “I’ll do whatever you want.” The Whumper gives them a squeeze on their shoulder and a comforting couple pats. “I know, kid. It’s alright.”

[cepheusgalaxy]

I am writing a thing and my two characters get captured together by a minor villain

They captured them becase they work for the Big Boss Supervillain and said BBS is trying to do a research about magicians so he sends Sidekick for capturing some lab rats, said lab rats being Totsuka and now Megan who just met her and was just vibing

Totsuka is a powerful witch and they both just met - said witch is also a traveler and she was trying to convince Megan to join her in her adventures because she needed a traveling partner and she is also Social. She was trying to convince him and then they got captured. (start of the story). They then run away after some chapters and the almost-traumatizing experience bonds them together like natural besties, and then totsuka finally convinces megan to join her and the fun starts.

Now the problem

Please, send me ideas or prompts about "captured together" I never wrote short-term captivity, team captivity or any kind of captivity at all

[sssunshinebreeze]

I never got to talk about my whumpee ocs here before my tumblr got nuked (just bcs you're excited, doesn't mean you have to follow-spree that fast). Perhaps sometime this week i'll make a special post about them :3

[whumpypepsigal]

Dune: Part Two (2024) “Chani, his body is fighting the poison and he needs your help.”

[whump-galaxy]

A demon hangs around with an angel, constantly tempting them to do things. They’ve been friends for so long now, it’s much more playful than serious.

But one day, the angel rushes to them, begging the demon to help them ‘fall’ in some way. The demon is so shocked, they try to talk the angel out of it.

[the-broken-pen]

Hey can you do one about a villain with teleporting powers

The hero woke up gasping, scrambling upright in bed as the back of their neck tingled in warning. Their eyes darted around the room, blurry, before settling on the far wall.

The villain watched them, idle and unimpressed.

The hero’s lungs, traitorously, forgot how to breathe. They wheezed slightly, one hand clenching onto the blanket, the other sliding underneath the pillow for their knife, where–

The villain hummed, and the hero’s attention snapped back to them at the same time they managed to draw in a painful, terror-addled breath. The villain’s gaze was unnerving as they flipped a knife over their knuckles.

The hero’s knife.

“You,” the hero managed, but they couldn’t think of anything to say, and they were so tired and their pulse was jackrabbiting in their ears.

The villain seemed to know this.

“I warned you,” they said. They didn’t even sound mean about it. Just a gentle reminder–hey, don’t forget to check the mail, hey, it’s your mom’s birthday, hey, can you feed the dog?

‘If you keep interfering, I will hunt you to the ends of the Earth and make you stop. There is nowhere I will not find you. Do you hear me? You cannot run from me, so don’t make me chase you.’

The hero swallowed.

“I didn’t think you would actually do it.”

The villain nodded like they had expected this. “You’ve learned from your mistakes, though, yeah?”

The hero knew the right answer. They knew that the proper response would be to slide off the bed onto their knees, to swear in every language they knew that they wouldn’t do it again. That the villain would be the only one allowed to splash blood onto the streets of their city, and the hero would choke on the pain of doing nothing and stay silent in it.

“You knew I wasn’t going to listen to you,” the hero said, and it was accusatory. The villain shifted slightly. “You had to have known I wouldn’t stop just because you threatened me.”

The villain shrugged one shoulder. 

“Of course I did. If you were the type of person who would have stopped, I would have killed you instead of giving you a warning.”

The hero’s grip tightened on the blanket. “That doesn’t make sense. If I was going to stop then why kill me–”

“I don’t believe in weakness,” the villain interrupted. Their gaze was searching and heavy on the hero’s face, knife still spinning over their knuckles. “Which is why you’re alive, because you have never been weak.”

The hero’s jaw tensed.

“You wanted this.”

The hint of a smile pulled at the villain’s mouth.

“Of course I did. You think I didn’t know you would try and run? You think I didn’t know exactly how you would react the moment I threatened anyone in that cursed city?”

“So you weren’t actually going to kill anyone?”

“Oh, no,” the villain corrected. “Of course I was going to. They don’t matter to me.”

The hero’s stomach turned. 

“Those are people–”

“They’re a drop in an ocean of humanity. You know better than to think I would care about something so trivial,” the villain said.

“They’re not trivial–”

The villain sighed, harsh in the darkness of the room.

“I bore of this. Get dressed. We’re leaving.”

The hero jolted back.

“I’m not going anywhere with you.”

The villain sighed again, as if they were dealing with an unruly child and getting a headache for their efforts. It sent the hero bristling like an angry cat.

“There’s nowhere you can go that I can’t find you. You know that, right? There is no end of the line for this. You can drive until you run out of gasoline, until your feet bleed, and you drain your accounts of money. And I will follow, and I will leave every person who helped you nothing more than a stain on the ground, until you decide the trail of bodies isn’t worth avoiding me. Is that really something you want?”

The hero set their jaw, rising to their feet. 

“You won’t find me,” they swore. And the villain–

The villain laughed.

“I know your face. Of course I can find you.”

The hero was missing something, and the lack of knowledge felt like a sword over their head. 

“I don’t–”

“There’s no way you would have known,” the villain said gently, like they knew how much it bothered the hero that they were missing something that was apparently vital. 

They probably did know.

The hero glared.

The villain looked on the verge of another laugh.

“Once I’ve seen a face, I can find a person anywhere in the world. No matter how far. That’s all I need. You could go to the other side of the planet, and I could teleport to you without a second thought.”

The hero gaped.

“Any face?”

The villain paused. “Yes.”

The hero’s throat went abruptly dry.

Any face–

“You could do so much good,” the hero said, and their voice broke slightly. “Do you know how many people you could save? Natural disasters and missing persons cases and–”

“You misunderstand me.”

“You could–”

“I don’t want to do good.”

The hero stopped.

“You don’t want to do good,” they said flatly.

“I am not a good person,” the villain said. “I don’t want to do good. I want power, and I want to do as I please, and I want you.”

The hero was going to be sick on the wooden flooring. They were barefoot, and weaponless, and that fear still ran up their spine.

“I am a person. You cannot have a person.”

“You are a glorious, powerful being,” the villain countered.

“That doesn’t make me less of a person.”

“No,” the villain agreed. “But it does make you something other than trivial. How could I do anything other than want to have that?”

The hero backed up a step.

“You can’t have me.”

The villain matched them, silent even as they stepped forward.

“You plan to run?”

They sounded amused.

The hero supposed that was better than anger.

“Stay over there,” the hero said shakily. The villain obliged, settling their hands into their pockets. Like this was a means to an end. They had flipped to the back of the book and read the ending, and were watching the hero catch up to the scenes they had already seen played out. The villain’s eyes burned into them.

And abruptly, skin going cold, the hero realized there truly wasn’t a way out of this for them.

The villain would never let them be. They could run, like the villain said, and the villain could kill every person who so much as looked their way. They could hide, and stumble through cities and down alleys and the villain would always be around the corner. 

They had little doubt that every other person in this shitty motel was already dead. 

The villain grinned like they could read every thought as it crossed the hero’s face.

“Where will you go,” the villain said. They stepped forward until they were close enough to touch. 

It wasn’t really the sort of question that wanted an answer.

“Everyone else in this building is dead, aren’t they?”

The villain cocked their head, as if to say, Come now, you know the answer to that.

The hero didn’t think they would ever be able to draw a full breath again.

“Where,” the villain said, soft like a secret. “Will you go, little hero?”

It felt like dying. It felt like reaching out to help someone a second too late. A second too slow to catch the building as it fell. The wrong side of a fire before it blew up.

“With you,” they whispered, and the villain smiled wider.

“What was that?”

“You heard me,” the hero snapped, and thrust their hand out. The villain took it without hesitation.

They tugged the hero into them, leaning to slot their mouth next to the hero’s ear. The hair on the back of the hero’s neck stood up.

“You could do so much bad,” the villain whispered, and the hero ground their teeth hard enough to hurt.

Anger flared bright enough to drain every ounce of fear from their body. Because this was the worst case scenario, wasn’t it? What could be lost.

“Every step you make, every blow you deal and fire you start, I’ll be there. And I'll stop you. Again, and again, and again. You want me?” The hero bared their teeth. “Then have me.”

The villain tugged them closer, and laughed.

“I look forward to it,” the villain replied, and then darkness swallowed the both of them whole.

A week later, a team of agents entered the motel to find it coated in blood and the smell of death.

A month later, everyone knew there was a fight of immovable power and unstoppable force shattering its way across the world. 

A year later, the victor panted through a bloody grin, bruised and crackling with vicious unleashed power, and laughed. Because truly, the ending had been on the horizon since the moment the two of them had first met.

[suspensefulpen]

Jealousy

TW: Implied Bad Caretaker and Pet Whump

Caretaker frowned as he listened to his friends happily discuss the pets they have at home.

It was all they’ve been talking about lately, and he was starting to feel left out. Even Carewhumper now had one.

They all made it seem as if it was the best thing ever. Having a precious pet you can call your own and have your way with.

Allegedly, it was a really big job. You’d have to be really serious about this before deciding to get a pet. Though from what he’s seen, you really didn’t. He’s heard stories about people who kept their pets for a short period of time on a complete whim before giving them up. It infuriated Caretaker, knowing that those poor pets have to get used to a new home all over again because their owners were irresponsible.

Tonight, he decided to ask more about it.

When everyone else left, Carewhumper and Whumper stayed to have a quiet chat over more wine. Caretaker hesitated before walking back into the sitting room, taking his earlier seat.

“There he is.” Whumper smiled crookedly. “We were just thinking about you.”

He only hummed absentmindedly. “I have… a question. For both of you.”

“Really?” Carewhumper lit up in a way that made him want to shift uncomfortably.

“Yes… I was wondering about…your pets.”

The two immediately turned serious, staring at him silently.

“I was curious. I want a pet too.”

[whumpwordsoftheday]

“What are you two in the mood for tonight?”

“I was thinking blonde hair, blue eyes, lots of freckles, around five feet.”

“And what about you?”

“Uh I just want to beat someone up.”

[paingoes]

questions for conditioned characters

A) do they know what conditioning is? B) do they understand that they've been conditioned? C) how does this understanding, or lack thereof, affect their perception of themselves?

[whumperofworlds]

A Whumpee who has a crush on Caretaker, and Whumpee, being a romantic, wants them to be their knight in shining armor. So they do stupid dangerous shit so that Caretaker can swoop in and save them.

...And this time, Whumpee ended up in an actual dangerous situation and got hurt in the process. When Caretaker rescues them, they scold Whumpee for being so reckless all the time, along with how they got scared for Whumpee's safety.

Cue guilt from Whumpee.

[skyward-floored]

Whumptober Day 13 - Multiple whumpees, (familial curse)

This was originally going to be one part but I just had to split it because it didn’t work out 😔 but my original plan was to whump all nine Links, and all nine links WILL be gotten. Eventually.

Warnings: aftereffects of drugging, body horror, brief injury and violence.

Ao3 link

Next part (day 28)

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“Twilight? Hey, Twilight wake up.”

Twilight groaned, and felt a hand shaking his shoulder, not too frantically, but forcefully enough that he quickly cracked his eyes open. Time looked down at him, concerned, but overall his expression was that of mild annoyance. Twilight was pretty sure it wasn’t directed at him, but he carefully sat up anyway, rubbing his pounding head.

“Oh good, Rancher’s up,” Sky’s voice said, and Twilight looked around to see all nine of them groggily waking up, rubbing heads and looking confused.

“Uh... what happened?” Wind slurred, trying to sit up and immediately falling back over. Warriors caught him, looking much more aware than the sailor, and frowned.

“That’s what I’m trying to remember. Last I recall, we were... eating dinner?”

“And now we’re in a tiny room with no way out and possibly limited air,” Hyrule said cheerily, then winced as he rubbed his head. “Were we... drugged?”

“It feels like it,” Twilight finally spoke, slowly stretching his limbs. He felt a little floaty, his head pounding, and the singular torch giving them light only made it worse. A quick glance around revealed that Four was the only one of them who hadn’t woken up yet, but he was twitching a little like he was about to.

Twilight hummed in mild confusion, trying to get his brain to sort out events from earlier. He did remember eating dinner, but had it been at an inn? It hadn’t been Wild’s cooking, he remembered that, but who’s had it been? Where were they?

Ugh. He hated waking up imprisoned and confused.

“Hey, wait I remember!” Wind said suddenly, eyes going wide. “We were at that festival in town!”

“Oh yeah...” Wild said like he was remembering it. “Oh yeah! Right! That was good food... though that lady serving it was weird.”

“Yeah, she came up to me and was talking to me later,” Sky spoke up as he scratched his head. “It seemed like she recognized that we were heroes. She seemed a little strange too, but... I thought maybe she’d just had too much wine,” he admitted sheepishly.

“I feel like I did,” Warriors muttered, and Twilight snorted. Honestly he agreed.

Twilight felt for his pouch, wanting to pull out his lantern and look around their prison a bit more, then froze, patting his sides and looking down at himself.

“Ah... Did anyone else have all of their gear stolen?” he asked.

A quick check revealed that yes, everyone’s items had been taken, both weapons and bags. Even Legend’s rings had been stripped, and the only thing any of them had were the clothes on their backs.

“Well, I’ve dealt with worse, but this sucks,” Legend said flatly, and everyone agreed.

Four groaned then, and everyone’s attention was pulled to making sure he was okay (which he was, just extra woozy like Wind) and helping him sit up. Four blinked at them all, taking in the tiny stone room, single torch, and the fact that all of them were crammed around him, and sighed.

“So going to that festival in town was a bad idea I see.”

“Indeed,” Time agreed.

Something rumbled in the wall then, shaking stone and making them all jump. They turned towards it, shifting into defensive positions, but then the wall... squealed.

“The chosen of Farore awaken!” a voice said excitedly, coming from no discernible direction. It echoing around the room like it was speaking to them from the opposite end of a long hallway. “At last!”

“Oh boy,” Legend muttered under his breath as the voice squealed again. “This isn’t going to end well.”

“I don’t recognize that voice,” Warriors murmured in reply. “Anyone?”

They all shook their heads.

“Let us out, jerk!” Wind hollered, and the voice giggled.

“Not yet!” she singsonged, and someone else cleared their throat.

“We must verify your identity before we partake of your courage,” a different voice spoke up, harsh and croaking. “You all bear the honorable likeness, but we must be sure.”

“Oh I really don’t like the sound of that,” Legend hissed, and Twilight agreed, subtly shifting his position to be further in front. Several of them did the same, faces hard as stone.

“What do you want with us?” Time demanded, and a few beats of silence passed.

“A test is in order,” the harsher voice spoke again, seeming to ignore Time’s words. “To prove you are indeed Farore’s providence. Our venerated goddess would not send us such scrawny men with the Signs without reason.”

“Scrawny?” Warriors muttered. Twilight wasn’t the only one who snickered at the offended look on his face.

“Prove to us you can survive our glorious goddess’s trial grounds,” the harsh voice continued. “If you die, it is of no consequence to us. But if you survive...”

“You get to live with us in the temple as Farore’s consorts forever!” the cheerful voice finished.

Silence fell over the Links, and Twilight felt suddenly nauseous.

“Oh great. A cult,” Wild said flatly. “I love those.”

Then the floor dropped out.

All of them screamed, and Twilight grabbed at the person closest to him, who happened to be Four. The smithy clutched back at him as they fell through the darkness, and Twilight heard several oofs as their backs hit something.

Suddenly they were shooting down some kind of slide, twisting and turning sharply, and Twilight knocked into several of the others as they fell. Four’s hand slipped out of his, but Twilight didn’t have a chance to grab it again before the chute abruptly opened up.

Twilight yelled again as he fell through the air, nothing but darkness surrounding him. He heard other shouts of alarm, but they sounded strangely far away as he flailed his arms, trying to turn around and slow his descent.

Before he could form any sort of plan though, he slammed into something solid and cold, bitingly cold.

It sank into his skin and leeched around his heart, and Twilight gasped without thinking, inhaling some of the intense cold. It felt like it went straight from his mouth to his lungs, freezing the entire way. A familiar sensation wracked through him along with it, twisting through his skin and bones, and Twilight braced himself as his body began to morph into a wolf without his permission.

How are they doing this? How is this possible?! he wanted to yell, but the unusually sharp pain from transforming stole his breath away.

It swept into his veins like ice, every breath turning his insides into a cold so deep and painful he thought he might pass out from it. He clung to consciousness though, a scream from his lips morphing to a howl halfway, the transformation ripping through him like a bolt made of icy lightning.

Then it was over.

Twilight went limp, panting as he caught his breath from the shockingly cold transformation.

He’d never been pushed into his wolf form like that before, and it took him several minutes to carefully sit up for the second time today. Paws, legs, tail, snout... aside from the especially painful transformation itself, he felt mostly fine. Nothing seemed wrong, at least.

He looked around where he’d ended up, and his ears went back at the darkness around him. The only color in his vision was a faint sheen of green in places on the ground, like the folds on a piece of deep mossy velvet. A couple small, glowing pebbles were the only other thing he could see. The air was still bitingly cold, even despite his thick fur, and Twilight shivered.

He needed to find the others, now.

Standing up and giving himself a cautious shake, Twilight began to walk carefully through through what smelled like a cave, his stomach tight with worry.

Why had they been dropped here? What was the goal? Everything that those women had said was unpleasant, but something about the words they’d used made Twilight’s stomach churn.

What did “partake of their courage” mean, exactly?

A scream suddenly rang through the cave, sharp with pain, and Twilight’s ears shot up. He bolted the moment he pinpointed it, feet pounding on the stones under his paws. He nearly tripped on a large rock, but kept running, following the sounds with his ears.

Until he finally saw Time, lying beside a faintly glowing rock, writhing in place with an expression of pure agony.

“Time!” Twilight barked in a panic, and bolted to his side, sniffing at him and trying to figure out what was wrong.

Time let out another cry of agony, and curled in on himself, body shaking as he tried to hold himself together. Twilight leaned closer to study him, then froze as golden hair— fur began to spread across his skin, his body parts shifting.

Oh no.

Time reached out blindly, and Twilight sat beside him, letting him clutch at his fur. He couldn’t do anything but watch as Time’s body gradually shifted into the same form as his own, a snout and tail, powerful legs and upward pointing ears. It was horrifying to watch, and the sounds were even worse, cracking and splitting and shifting.

It went on for a good minute or two, and Twilight whined anxiously as Time cried out and moaned, body shuddering and trying to organize itself. Time finally let out one last whining cry of pain, then stilled, tongue lolling as he panted for breath.

And Twilight shook as he stared at him, bright gold and white fur shining a little in the crystal light.

Time had become a golden wolf.

The same that Twilight had sought out on his journey in order to learn hidden sword techniques.

“Old man,” Twilight woofed softly, trying not to shake as he lowered himself to his belly beside Time. “Are you okay?”

Time’s good eye fluttered, then slowly opened, looking up at Twilight.

“I’ve been... through many magical transformations, but that... was one of the worst,” Time weakly huffed. He attempted to get to his feet, and growled in frustration as his paws went the wrong ways. “Right. New body. New proportions.”

“Just take it slow,” Twilight urged, trying not to think about what Time now looked like, the future once more looming over his head. Nope. He had bigger problems right now. “Let your instincts carry you for a bit. It’s better if you don’t think too hard about how it works.”

It only took one more try for Time to sit up, and his legs didn’t tremble too much as he raised himself to a standing position. He tripped once or twice, but managed a careful walk around the cave, and shortly after that he was standing naturally, just like a wolf.

“Are you okay, pup?” Time asked, posture suggesting worry. He sniffed at Twilight a bit, and his ears shifted backwards. He could probably smell Twilight’s fear.

“I’m alright,” Twilight reassured with a swallow. “Just worried for the others. How did those people do this to us? It hardly felt like the magic I use to transform.”

“Probably a spell of some ilk,” Time rumbled. “One I do not like. But we should find the others before we—”

A shrill scream rang through the caves, and both Twilight and Time snapped their heads up, exchanging alarmed looks. They hurried towards it without another word, the pebbles on the ground just barely lighting their path, and Twilight frantically sniffed for any sign of the others.

None of their voices were that high pitched, but if the same thing Twilight and Time had been afflicted with was what had happened to everyone...

A bit more light came into view, and Twilight froze at the sight in front of him.

A moblin, one that looked something like Wild’s, was snarling angrily as it tried to reach a clawed hand into a crevasse in the rock. It scrabbled at the stone and howled when its hand wouldn’t fit. An angry squeaking sound came from the hole, and the moblin roared loudly, yanking its hand away as blood ran from its claws.

Someone was cornered in there.

Time snarled, leaping at the moblin with his teeth bared, and Twilight did the same, his fangs connecting with flesh.

It was incredibly fortunate it was only a red moblin, and against two wolves, even one inexperienced, it was no match. It soon fell to Twilight and Time’s teeth, and disappeared into smoke, a roar ringing out as it died.

Twilight whirled on the crack in the stone then, whining anxiously as he sniffed at it. He could smell blood.

“Hello?” he woofed, and the angry noises stopped.

“...Twilight?”

The voice was familiar, and when Twilight sniffed again, he caught a mix of familiar scents through the blood, ones that sent relief through him.

“Legend?” Time asked in confusion, and a familiar pink rabbit face appeared in the crack, long ears swiveling.

“Yeah, it’s me,” Legend sighed, and moved out of the hole a bit further. Twilight could see the fear in his body language. “...Is that Time back there? Wait, did he seriously get to be a wolf too?!”

“Yes,” Twilight said, then gave Legend a worried sniff. “Where are you hurt? I smell blood.”

Legend’s ears went back. “It’s not bad, just a scratch. That moblin got a swing at me while I was shifting. I was trying to help Sky.”

“He got transformed too? Is he okay?” Twilight asked frantically, and Legend made a movement Twilight assumed was a helpless shrug.

“He hasn’t woken up yet. He got a little banged up too, it didn’t look like he was bleeding too much, but... I don’t know. I think the shift was pretty hard on him.”

“It was plenty hard on me, and I’m used to it,” Twilight winced. “Can you pull him out of there?”

“I got him in there in the first place, I hope so,” Legend said, and turned back around and reentered the crevasse. Twilight sat down beside it, and Time padded over, giving the hole a curious look.

“You don’t seem so surprised at the fact that our veteran is a pink rabbit,” he noted, and Twilight chuffed out a laugh.

“Yeah, there’s a story behind that. Maybe Legend will explain it.”

The rabbit in question reappeared shortly, tugging something else by the scruff. He grunted as he pulled it up, and Twilight stuck his snout in to try and help, eyes widening at the creature Sky had become.

He looked something like a cat, but not exactly, soft and fuzzy, tan and light brown fur in an unusual pattern. Large ears poked up as Legend pulled him further out of the hole, and Twilight saw a faint mark on his back that looked like a bird.

He also had claw marks scored into his side, dripping blood through his fur.

“Oh Sky...” Twilight whined, giving him an anxious sniff. “Do you know what he is?”

“I assumed he was a cat of some sort, but beats me,” Legend shrugged. “Wait, if you guys are animals, does that mean—”

“Yeah we’re pretty sure everyone else is too,” Twilight sighed, and Legend put a paw on his chin, rapidly tapping his foot in thought.

“Hm. That could be problematic, to say the least.”

“Indeed,” Time added grimly. “We need to find the others and figure out how to get out of here.”

“I can probably scent them out, but how are we getting out of here?” Twilight asked. “I don’t see us getting out the way we came in.”

“We’ll find a way,” Legend said as he rubbed his ear. “After all, we’ve just got to beat this ‘trial’, right? I bet once we do that we can bust outta here.”

“Assuming we aren’t all still incapacitated,” Time murmured with a glance at Sky. “We should get moving.”

“I got him,” Twilight volunteered, and gently lifted Sky by the scruff. He barely weighed anything.

“Wait, I’ll carry him,” Time interrupted. “You’re our best fighter at the moment, it makes more sense for you to have the freedom to move about. Especially if you’re going to sniff out the others.”

Twilight nodded reluctantly, and set Sky on Time’s back, getting him settled. He licked away the worst of the blood, and was relieved to see the scratches weren’t actually too deep. Legend seemed to be correct with his assumption that the shift had just been hard on him.

“So is this a dark world of some kind?” Twilight wondered as he pulled back. “We were wondering if it was a spell of some sort, but is it possible that we fell into a different world?”

“I don’t know, but it certainly feels like one,” Legend said with a shiver. “That or some kind of dark magic that’s concentrated down here. Based on what those crazy people said I’d guess just dark magic, but either way, it’s bad.”

Twilight raised his head and sniffed, that eerie cold feeling still penetrating him straight to his spirit. He caught a whiff of something else in the air though, a familiar scent, and pricked his ears.

“I smell someone, they’re close,” he reported, and Legend twitched an ear.

“Well, lead the way, wolf boy.”

They set off, Twilight in the front, Time behind him with Sky, Legend hopping along between them. Twilight stayed tense, keeping both ears out for sign of any monsters or Links, but the cavern was eerily quiet.

Had the others already been transformed? If they were unconscious from the shift it would explain why it was so quiet, but... there were a lot of other reasons why that could be the case.

Bad ones.

Twilight looked up at where the ceiling should be, nothing but pitch-black darkness meeting him, and swallowed.

Were they okay?

He regretted thinking it when a cry rang through the cavern yet again, one thick with pain, and all three of them immediately stiffened.

“I think that’s the captain,” Legend said in a thin voice.

Time didn’t even speak, bolting off deeper into the cave.

Twilight’s heart pounded as Legend scrambled over to him, leaping onto his back, and they tore off behind Time into the darkness ahead. He could barely see where he was going, but he kept running, following Time’s scent.

They rounded a corner, and Twilight stopped dead, Time’s tail between his legs at the sight before them.

Warriors lay on the ground, still completely Hylian, and writhing around with pain constricting his face. Twilight hurried over, and Warriors’ back arched, sweat beading on his face as he let out another cry.

Twilight couldn’t hold back a whine, and Legend slid off his back, scampering over to the captain without hesitation. Warriors’ eyes were wide and glassy, and Legend put a small paw on his arm with a worried look.

“Captain, hey, I know your instinct is to fight it, but let it happen,” Legend said, voice steady. “It’ll be easier if you just let it do what it’s going to do.”

Warriors let out another short cry of pain, and Twilight sat beside him as he twitched on the ground. Time seemed frozen a few feet away, and Twilight put the soft from his mind, focusing on Warriors.

His face began to elongate, and Warriors thrashed, his eyes so wide that Twilight could see mostly white. His legs and arms grew longer, back straightening as his neck stretched out, and all any of them could do was watch it happen, and try and soothe Warriors while his body slowly twisted itself into a different form.

Warriors let out a guttural scream, but the transformation just kept plodding along, going so slowly Twilight was sure it was pure torture.

“Warriors, please, you’ve got to let it finish,” Legend said in a voice Twilight could tell he fought to keep steady. “Just let go. I promise it’ll be okay.”

Warriors breathed out sharply through his nose, eyes darting around without seeing anything. Time finally snapped out of his daze then, sitting down by his head, and Warriors blindly leaned against him, breath coming out in short gasps.

“It’s okay, Link,” Time reassured, even though Warriors wouldn’t be able to understand him. “Let it finish. You can do it.”

Warriors shuddered, and the transformation spread a little faster, his hair turning paler and spreading across his body, limbs stretching out more. Twilight watched, morbidly fascinated as his fingers fused and arms stretched, body growing, hair spreading downwards.

It went on longer than Time’s, much longer, but Warriors’ limbs eventually finished growing out, hoofs in place of hands, a horn twisting up, a silky tail and mane falling along the ground.

Finally it finished, and Twilight stared, fascinated.

Warriors lay unconscious on the ground, a unicorn of the palest yellow.

“...I gotta admit, I wasn’t expecting that,” Legend commented with an exhale, though his voice was a bit unsteady. He patted Warriors’ shoulder, and hunched down a little, face twisted with worry.

“What were you expecting?” Twilight asked curiously, and Legend shrugged.

“I don’t know. Probably another wolf. Not... a unicorn.”

“I think it makes sense,” Time said quietly, but didn’t elaborate.

Twilight sighed, feeling exhausted, and absently twitched an ear. “Well since none of us can carry him, I guess we’re stuck here until he wakes up.”

Time nodded, and Legend swiped a paw across his face. “Hopefully that won’t take too long,” Legend muttered worriedly, his nose twitching.

Twilight silently agreed, and sat down beside Time and Legend, keeping his ears pricked for any signs of the other Links while they waited for Warriors to wake back up.

Oh spirits, what a disaster.