Robin

Once a proud clan healer, Robin has become something of a recluse.

He came to this place via exile; the progenitors of his original clan, so haughty and noble, had seen his crime. The evidence was undeniable, they'd said, the blood spilled, his claws red with the accursed proof.

But the bones in his claws were chilled and brittle, and the flesh he'd torn was cold and dead.

"They framed me," he'd screamed, though his cries fell upon deaf ears. "The Monolith! The Monolith and the Author!"

All he could babble as he was dragged away was the name of the spirit in the water, the creature in his reflection, which screamed and cried and danced with him, mockingly so.

They tossed him over the edge of the Icefield, renouncing him, freeing him of his duties.

"Begone," they'd screamed. "To the abyss in which you belong!"

Chains bound his limbs, his wings weighed down by lead, dragging him to the ocean floor. Darkness fell in a haze over his eyes, his cries drowned out by the water rushing into his lungs, filling his innards with brine.

In the shadows of the sea, The Monolith lurked. It brushed against him almost playfully, as if teasing an old friend and not mocking a dying drake.

He'd only shrieked more, though as he felt himself being lifted from the water, he lost all will to fight, his eyes sliding shut...

"I'll come back for you. You'll hear it in the earth; she'll hum and tremble in elation," the beast promised.

His head lolling, all Robin could do was comply.

He'd forgotten the event long ago, had forced it to the back of his memory in some twisted self-preservation. Slowly, he recovered, though he hardly spoke, for fear of the brine rushing in again, his lungs filling with fluid-

...

Mostly recovered.

He went about his days peacefully, quietly, his beloved Oliver at his side. His new clan, a quaint little spot in the middle of Plague territory, didn't judge or belittle him. He was trusted, for once, a wonderful feeling. Though they hardly knew him personally, his status as the healer made him a beloved figure...

And it seemed as if his life had finally taken a turn for the better.

Sometimes, Oliver could even coax a word out of him, perhaps a whispered, sweet, "I love you," accompanied by a nuzzle and a purr.

Those were his best days; it seemed as if nothing could go wrong again.

October of 201X, the earth trembled.

Fear gripped Robin's heart. He rushed outside, panic filling him. Upon seeing the familiar, shadowy beast standing at the edge of his territory, there were only a few ways he could react.

For the first time in years, his jaws snapped open, and he let out a horrifying shriek.

The Monolith was here...

Written 10/21/19 by PrinceBirb08