𝑪𝒐𝒑𝒚𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 © 2021 -𝑱.𝑹𝒂𝒆
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𝑵 𝑶 𝑻 𝑰 𝑪 𝑬
This is my original work, any effort to copy it or post it elsewhere without the author's consent will be considered copyright
This book contains mature themes not suited for young readers, deals with sensitive topics such as abuse, and mass genocide. Please read at your own discretion.
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𝑩 𝑳 𝑼 𝑹 𝑩
Time had stood still for as long as I could remember. Until one day, it didn't. What weaken barrier had been protecting me finally broke, and with it came the collapse of the earth. Dirt poured into my mouth, I kept my eyes forced shut. In a panic, I made efforts to spit it out but to no avail. Then, my instincts began to kick in. Arms fought against the soft soil until finally, a few fingers reached the surface. From there I clawed my way out, freeing my upper body and dragging my lower half from its shallow grave. I coughed, coughed the thick muck from out of what felt to be as deep as my lungs, and grasped at my chest as if it might allow me to breathe easier. "Father?" I weakly called, pulling my hair from the grave. It seemed endless.
Glancing around brought me dread. Above me laid a wisteria tree, one fully grown and surrounded by other saplings and trees in the distance. That alone meant it had been twenty years, but the earth said otherwise. It had grown, died, and been cut oddly. This was not my land, not anymore. "Okay, what the fuck. Listen, I swear I didn't smoke before this so there can't be any way I'm imagin' this shit." My head whipped in the direction of the male voice, longing to see someone familiar. And yet, there on a plaid blanket sat six men. Each has a completely different colored hair and origin. I had never seen so many species together without seeing blood.
"Smoke? You've been smoking?" The Magenta haired boy who had spoken privately placed his hands to cover his face, whereas a brown-haired man gave him a smack to the back of the head. "I knew I smelled that shit! And you gaslit me into thinking Raven had some new plants in his nest!" A man with wings, and multi-colored eyes, pointed at himself. In all my years I had never seen a winged creature other than a fairy.
"Come on you could have broken my glasses and then what? You'd all be dead!"
"With your weak genes?" I didn't catch the source of the voice. However, it didn't come from either previous man.
"Soo, we're jus' going to ignore the girl covered in dirt?" A red-haired man stood from his spot and approached me. Instantly, I pushed myself backward only to fall into my hole once more. This time sideways. "Woah there Angel, try not to fall too much. When's the last time you walked on those legs anyways?" His pale arm reached out for me, a friendly yet seductive smile plastered on his lips. "Come along now, love. I don't bite." Finally, I reached for his hand and allowed him to lift me from my... grave. That's when I noticed just how pale I was. I looked like a lily of the valley, nothing compared to my natural glow. How long had I been under?
"She looks so cold, how could anyone get so pale?" The redhead snapped his head back at the blonde who spoke, "She.. It's a compliment!" he rushed his words, before removing some sort of clothing layer and placing it over my shoulders. "Here, try and warm up." As dirty as I was, he still allowed me to wear something of his.
"Oh please, vermin like you sink your teeth into any unknowing woman." This time it was a man with the color of bright green leaves, like the ones you see at the beginning of spring. He brought back words from a previous conversation, had he been waiting to make a jab? "Don't touch her, she probably carries diseases." This time, he was smacked along the head of the brown-haired boy. "Why you-"
"Everyone, let her breathe would you?" The Redhead was pushed from my immediate view, the brown-haired coming into view. I could tell the species of only two of them. The one who helped me up was a vampire, he didn't even attempt to hide his fangs. The one before me was the one I worried the most about. Lycan, a kind that mine and his had been at odds with for as long as I could remember. Should he discover me now, it might not bode well for my well-being. "The name is Orion, and these are my brothers." He pointed to the variety pack of men.
"That there, is Raven." He pointed to the timid-looking man. His hair wasn't as long as mine, but it appeared to be the most disheveled and lengthy one out of the bunch. "He's our youngest." This was said to me in more of a hush. Raven made eye contact with me momentarily, before adverting his gaze to play with some leaves he had in his hands. Now that I looked at him, I realized his wings were a abundance of purple. Even the tips of his black hair seemed to be shaded a deep purple. Some feathers littered his cheeks and forehead, along with his arms and hands.
"Then there's Isen." He pointed to the loose coily magenta haired man. Most of his curly hair was pulled back into a low, yet disorganized ponytail. He wore round glasses, ones with clear lenses. They were nothing Like I had seen before.
"Hey Hey Hey!" His smile was warming and inviting. It reminded me of a close friend, Dante. He was in my village. Was. "Kinda diggin' the style! I mean look at you, all.. dead-like. Is this a new form of Alt?" He seemed harmless with his words, he didn't act like the green-haired. I doubt his words were meant to actually offend me.
"What ye-"
"That right there would be Daisuke. Don't mind him, he never learned to take the silver spoon from his mouth."
"Why you impudent f-" The one that goes by Isen covered his brother's mouth. Both of them throwing petty hits afterward.
"And that's Silas, the one you should watch out for. He does bite, by the way." Silas waved, which that charming smile once more. I already knew he bit, which made the lie I had planned a bit more difficult. They'd start pressing for questions later, and I needed to hurry and find my father. For now, I needed to make up a lie.
"This would be Zephyr, our latest companion but the best cook you'll ever meet." It was the blonde from earlier, the one who gave me the extra layer. Not sure what his ability in cooking had to do with anything, but who was I to question it?
"What y-" Perhaps he saw my confusion, because without giving me a second to speak he spoke for me, though it didn't answer any of my questions.
"We aren't blood-related. Just a bunch of war orphans who can't seem to separate."
"War?" A war leaving so many different species orphaned? That seemed impossible. Better yet, that seemed like it would have taken much longer than twenty years. Most species got along with each other just fine. What the hell happened? "What war?"
"Not all of us are war orphans." The green-haired-Daisuke snapped. "And the great war, obviously. God, how long have you been under there?" He scoffed as if this was basic knowledge and I should have known it.
"What year is it?"
"It's 3005, February 16th."
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𝑨 𝑪 𝑲 𝑵 𝑶 𝑾 𝑳 𝑬 𝑫 𝑮 𝑬 𝑴 𝑬 𝑵 𝑻 𝑺
Title inspired by
awwhoreable
to my cat, who is the only consistency in my life
(i can't get rid of him)
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𝑷 𝑳 𝑨 𝒀 𝑳 𝑰 𝑺 𝑻
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1ol0Fl15kuHVg6ScoQXvZo?si=4sbBV2oGSPWES146Fm3q6w
"Strange was the Earth"
on spotify