#whumpee: cal

[whump-kin]

Wheel of Whump 1 - Impaled

cal has some time to contemplate.

CW: Torture, imminent death, mild suicidal ideation, vomiting blood, impalement

All he can do is stare ahead. 

Stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid. What harm could it have done, he’d thought? Sneak out, away from Bryn, who was so overprotective, always keeping Cal close, burying him under his cloak to protect him from the sun. 

So Cal had slipped away in the night. Nothing too bad. He wasn’t even going to feed. Just wanted to explore the town they were staying in without Bryn constantly having a hand on his shoulder or trying to drag Sh’han away from “relocating” animals they saw in the street.

What he wouldn’t give for that hand on his shoulder now. 

As it was, he was immobilized- stake through his heart, placed with a surgeon’s precision- and impaled on a metal spike. Iron, he guessed. It was up at an angle so his head was forced to tilt back, arms and legs falling behind him, making him look like he was being pulled up towards the heavens.

Whoever these vampire hunters were, they sure had a sick sense of humor. 

He couldn’t move. They’d at least left him with his glasses on, so he could see the massive and intricate sun symbol that he faced towards. Eight-pointed, with the symbol of a crescent moon and blood dripping down in the center. Hostile, jagged, pointy. He’d run over the thing with his eyes- the only thing he could move- probably hundreds of times now. 

The only thing that changed was how much sun showed.

The man who’d put him on here had explained it, or as much as he could while Cal was busy choking up the rancid blood he’d been force-fed, as the spike pierced his stomach. 

This chamber had a very specific design. When the sun illuminated their symbol entirely, it would then be reflected upon him. 

And then, the man had told him, everyone in the vicinity would watch as another monster turned to ash.

It wasn’t too bad, all things considered, Cal tried to justify to himself. He wouldn’t be truly dead. He’d just reform. 

In his coffin.

In Montresor’s castle. 

In the castle he’d spent five long years in, having to be smuggled out and stolen away from by Bryn and Sh’han, who’d almost lost their lives to save him. In the castle where he’d been more property than person. The castle whose master they were traveling in search of a way to break his ties to. 

Fuck. Maybe death was the better option here. Because at least then the rescue had meant something. At least he wouldn’t have to live on in shame of what his short-sighted decision had cost them all. 

He kept staring at the metal insignia. It was the only thing he could do.

He hoped when the sun hit, it wouldn't hurt.

[whumpy-writings]

Obedience

Febuwhump 2024 Day 4

The Dhampir Files Masterlist

CW: Abusive parents (whumpees are adults), referenced lab whump, whipping, carewhumper, lady whumper, conditioned whumpee

Cal sat on the ground, Renn resting his head on his lap as he slept. It had been a couple weeks since the sun experiment. They had been allowed to heal, but Cal was under no illusions that that was the last experiment their parents would conduct.

The waiting was the worst part. He didn't know what the next horror would be, or when it would happen. All he and Renn could do was wait. Renn whimpered in his sleep.

"You're okay, I've got you," Cal whispered as he stroked his brother's hair. Renn hadn't had nightmares in years. But now it seemed like he had them every time he closed his eyes.

The door at the top of the stairs creaked open and Cal tensed. But the footsteps down the stairs sounded different. Uneven. A man appeared at the bottom of the stairs. He had brown hair and was dressed in simple clothes. He crossed the room with a pronounced limp. This was the first person Cal had seen besides Renn and their parents since he was thrown into this hell-hole.

The man moved to the tables and shuffled things around, like he was looking for something. Cal squinted. It almost looked like. . .

"Miles?" A surge of relief went through Cal as his human half-brother turned to look at him. "Miles! Oh my gods, it's you. Hurry, let us out of here."

Miles flinched. "I can't do that," he said. Cal swallowed down his frustration.

"Why not? They're not here right now. There must be an extra key somewhere."

Miles approached the cage with his eyes on the floor. When he stood outside the door, Cal caught sight of the collar, which sat atop a mess of scars from bites. He hadn't had those before. He hadn't had the limp either.

"I'm sorry," Miles whispered. "I'm not allowed to."

"Miles, please, you can come with us. They're torturing me and Renn, I don't know how much longer we can survive this."

"I can't."

"Why the fuck-"

"Miles! I told you not to talk to them!" Cal whipped his head up to see Mother striding toward them, her face furious. Miles went pale. He spun around and fell to his knees, bowing to the floor with his hands on either side of his head.

"I'm sorry ma'am, I'm sorry, it won't happen again." Miles was shaking. Mother stood in front of him with her arms crossed. She shot Cal a glare.

"He hasn't disobeyed in months," she said. "And now I'll have to punish him. This is your fault, Callum." Renn stirred from Cal's lap.

"What's going on? Miles?" Renn's voice was thick with sleep.

"I was just about to discipline him," Mother said. "He was explicitly told that he was not to speak to you two, and he did anyway."

Miles shoulders hitched and Cal realized he was crying. "Please ma'am, please I'll be good please I don't need a punishment."

"That's not for you to decide, human." Mother grabbed Miles's hair and hauled him to his feet.

"Let him go!" Renn yelled. "Don't hurt him!" He grabbed onto the bars. "Please, don't hurt him."

Mother ignored him. "Take off your shirt, hands against the wall."

Miles sobbed as he undressed. Cal gasped. His back was criss-crossed in scars. There were dozens of them. He definitely hadn't had those when Cal and Renn left.

"How many lashes do you deserve, Miles?"

Mother crossed to a bench and picked up a whip.

"No! Please Mother, don't hurt him, it was my fault." Cal's eyes burned with tears. Fuck, he hadn't wanted to get Miles hurt.

"T-ten ma'am," Miles said. "Ten for my disobedience. His hands were pressed against the wall, his back bared. Tears rolled down his face and he was shaking.

"Only ten?" Mother said. She cracked the whip and Miles jumped. "You disobeyed a direct order. You'll get twenty-five lashes. And then you will clean up whatever blood gets on the floor. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am," Miles whispered.

"Good."

She got behind him with the whip. Renn buried his face in Cal's shoulder. Cal wrapped his arm around him. The whip cracked through the air and Miles cried out. Cal hugged Renn even tighter and put his hands over his brother's ears to try to dampen the sound.

The lashes were hard and fast and soon enough Miles's knees gave out. He knelt on the ground, sobbing as lash after lash bit through his ruined back. It seemed to go on forever.

Finally, the lashes stopped. Miles collapsed to the ground with a sob. "I'm sorry ma'am, I'm sorry, thank you for teaching me to be good." Disgust rose in Cal's throat. Miles was thanking her for torture.

Mother knelt down next to Miles and smoothed his sweaty hair back from his forehead. "There's my good boy. You won't make the same mistake again, will you?" Miles shook his head.

"No, never."

"Good."

Mother met eyes with Cal. "I hope this was a lesson for you too. You are not to talk to him. I would hate for him to be tempted and have to be punished again." Miles whimpered. "He's just a human, after all. His body isn't as strong as mine or yours." She turned back to Miles. "Now clean up this mess. Once you're finished I'll bandage the wounds."

"Yes ma'am." Miles scrambled to his feet and set about cleaning up the blood that splattered the floor. Mother pulled out a chair and sat down just outside the cage.

"Miles is a good boy, usually. Of course, at the beginning he was very disobedient. He tried to escape too, you know. Right after you two left. Isn't that right, Miles?"

"Yes ma'am," Miles said from where he scrubbed at the floor. "It was very stupid of me."

"That's right, it was very stupid, wasn't it?" She smiled icily as she looked at Cal and Renn. "You know he can't see very well, so he didn't get far. We broke his leg when we caught him. We couldn't risk him running again, you see. Then it was just a matter of training. He became the perfect human within six months."

"You tortured him," Cal said flatly.

"No," Mother corrected. "We trained him. There is a difference. He needed to learn which behaviors were acceptable and which were not. We used a combination of negative and positive feedback to help him learn his place. And he's happy now that he understands that we're in charge. Isn't that right, Miles?" Miles knelt down next to her, the floor spotless behind him.

"Yes ma'am, I'm very happy now. I live to serve you."

"You're so sweet," Mother said with a smile. She placed her hand on Miles's head, like he was a favored dog. Cal felt ill. They had broken Miles. His spirit, his personality, was gone. He was a shell of the person he used to be. Obedient because that was the only choice he had. They were going to do the same thing to him and Renn. It might take longer, but one day he would be the one kneeling next to Mother in submission. Cal shuddered.

Taglist: @dragonqueenslayer6 @whumpsday

[painsandconfusion]

Wrong Place, Wrong Time

Prompts and starters A collaboration with @wormwriting

[Prompt Masterpost]

“How much did you hear?”

Whumpee crouched and trying to stay quiet until they can slip away. Then the cool barrel of a gun pressing against the back of their head. Bonus for ~click~

“You know what happens now, right?”

Whumpee stumbling home, breath ragged and body in shock still. They stare at the liquor bottle - and without thinking, uncap it and start downing as much fire as they can stand. They don’t want to remember what they just saw. For everyone’s sake. 

Whumper shoving a bottle against Whumpee’s chest. “You’re going to want to forget that. I’ll check back in tomorrow to make sure you did.” 

Walked into the wrong bar at the wrong time - now they’re a vampire’s lunch.

“Don’t look at me like that. You’re the one who fucked up everything. Now I need to clean up your mess.”

The shaky hand Whumpee presses to their mouth to try to stifle their echoing breaths. Eyes squeezed shut so hard that they might press the memory of what they saw out of their mind.

“How’s about you and me go for a little walk, hm?”

“Sorry kid - boss said no loose ends.”

Whumpee stepping around the corner to see people and blood and heads slowly turning toward them. Seeing them seeing what just happened. Seeing the blood. Seeing them seeing the blood. Whumpee slooooooowwwwwly steps back, eyes stricken with horror-

“Can’t talk without a tongue, right?”

Whumpee driving in the middle of nowhere - how were they supposed to know it would be fifty miles to the nearest gas station? At least they can cal-......they don’t have signal either…

Whumpee flinching at each echoing footstep, tucking further back into their hiding spot. “I know you’re theeeeerrreeeee~ Come out come ouuuut~”

“You know this isn’t personal, right?”

And escaped whumpee bumping into Whumper completely randomly years later. The  s t a r e. Aaaaaaand run-

“What are you so scared for? I don’t gotta kill you~”

“Wh-y me?” “You were the easiest to grab.”

Stepping into a bear trap. 

Whumpee getting mistaken for a target. Tortured in their place while pleading all the while that they got the wrong mark. Of course, no one believes them.

“Know what you are? A liability.”

The random guy the villain shoots in a bar just to make a point. 

“Don’t. Move.”

[Prompt Masterpost]

(tags: @prisonerwhump @whumpawink @mabledonut @happy-little-sadist @paleassprince @distinctlywhumpthing @wibbly-wobbly-whump @batfacedliar-yetagain @suspicious-whumping-egg @wormwriting @villainsvictim @throwawaywhumper @wild-selenite-caffine @whumpasaurus101 @thecitythatdoesntsleep @whumpworld @pinkieglitterheart @whumpberry-cookie @rainbows-and-whumperflies @a-galactic-fox @shywhumpauthor @cyberneticwhump @bumpwhump @hold-back-on-the-comfort @veyroswin @whumping-seven-days-a-week @whumpingisfun @suffering-and-misery @definitely-not-a-seagull-i-swear @yetanotheraltwhumpblog @whump-queen @a-whumped-tea @whumpsday @sonder35)

As always, lmk if you want to be added or removed from any tag lists!

(a few of these arent working so if wibbly-wobbly-whump or hold-back-on-the-comfort changed their blogs please lmk <3

[generic-whumperz]

Temporary cover made with Canva clip art :)

(18+, MINORS DNI!)

Bad summary (I suck at these): Set in the near future, an ability wielding telepathic-empathic 18-year-old sells himself into high-class slavery to support his family and to escape the wrath of an impeding Regime that has overthrown the US government, as well as avoid the growing numbers of the ravenous blood-thirsty hoards of afflicted. Stripped of his name, The Aid serves under a Southern Californian socialite, Madame Eleanor, the prestigious Sullivan family matriarch, for five years before being given to her Sadistic Son, Wyatt, after her untimely death. He now must fight for survival in a war-torn world and rediscover who he is, and hopefully, he’ll make a friend or two along the way.

What you can expect: A long format, slow-burn type story with undertones of family war-time drama, multiple POVs (in the works), multiple parts, and Whumping of all kinds. Strangers to friends, friends to buddies, buddies to ???something more???

General vibes: post-apocalypse desert horror meets torture den meets psychedelic 60s and mid-centruy modern So-Cal aesthetics + Louisiana bayou, country back roads, cookouts, dive bars, fishing, big biological & found family, & sticking it to the man

General content warnings:

This is a heavier story with little to no comfort and constant levels of hurt (physical and emotional), including NSFW themes, heed any TWs/CWs! This is not a happy story (at least right now or in the near future, but our MCs will have a happy-ish ending I promise), if you want something nice n’ fluffy, this isn't it!

*Full disclosure this is a loosely BBU/WRU inspired alternative reality, but it is VERY different. Still there may be some vague similarities. If you don’t like BBU, fret not, it’s a completely different thing.

*Not all of these bullet points are explored yet, but they will be. I’m trying not to give away spoilers while also being upfront by what to expect here.

Institutionalized slavery in a post-war/post-apocalyptic AU (so objectification, degradation, humiliation & all that jazz)

Culty & conspiratorial religious extremism

Sadistic/creepy/intimate/verbally and mentally abusive whumpers

TORTURE. Mock deaths, death threats, attempted murder, and murder

Non-con, dub-con, consensual fluff/spice/smut/what-ever-the-fuck-we-call-it-these-days (varying degrees of each, anything explicit will be marked as such!)

Addiction & substance abuse + general use & mentions (prescription & illicit drugs, alcohol, gambling, porn) + noncon drugging

Cannibalism (the “afflicted” are basically stand-ins for zombies)

Red room whumping (working up to it, this feels like a spoiler)

Caretaker turned Whumpee (“Caretaker” as in literal caregiver) (Aid)

POC Whumpees (Benny, Jean-Paul, etc.)

Sprinkles of lady whump and ladies murking bitches

Multiple whumpers + Family of whumpers (different ages and genders)

Family trauma & drama (The Sullivans are fucking messy)

Former (elderly) lady whumper (dies at 73) (Madame Eleanor)

20+ year age gap between Whumpee (Aid) & Whumper (Wyatt)

Wyatt—POS asshole, misogynistic, egotistical, insane rich guy who’s never been told no in his life and can’t take accountability

Blurbs of past child abuse (why Wyatt is the way he is) feels like a spoiler but important to disclose I think

Objectively bad parenting

On screen and off screen character deaths (NOT the MCs)

Discussions of mental health including suicidal ideation and past suicide attempts

Long-term captivity, and conditioning— I’m talking 5 + 3-4ish more years (but this does not mean The Aid is completely helpless and always compliant and doesn’t snap back!)

Medical & lab whump (this is probably more medical malpractice and just bad healthcare, but there’s some experimental drugging)

Starvation & subsequent issues with food (Aid)

Manipulation/emotional whump (everyone tbh)

Defiance & angst

Paranormal encounters (Aid has a sleep paralysis demon, it’s a metaphor but also literal—so fun. Benny is afraid of flesh pedestrians—if you know you know.)

Aid has some special abilities. I wouldn’t consider this magic or fantasy whump by any means and the story does not revolve exclusively around this, although it plays a personal part for him and does influence the story in some aspects.

The lists below will be continuously updated when I have new stuff to add! I know it ain't much yet, but I'm workin' on it! :)

UPDATE 4/14/2024!

Part 1: Out from Under

Prologue (Meet The Whumper) (REWRITE IN PROGRESS)

Chapter 1: Pump It (Louder!) (REWRITE IN PROGRESS)

Chapter 2: Belligerance (REWRITE IN PROGRESS)

Chapter 3: Say My Name (REWRITE IN PROGRESS)

Chapter 4: One Step Closer (REWRITE IN PROGRESS)

Chapter 5: Part 1, Part 2 (REWRITE IN PROGRESS)

Chapter 6: Stranger to Myself (REWRITE IN PROGRESS)

NSFW Chapter 7: Sicko Fantasies & Haunting Memories (REWRITE IN PROGRESS)

Chapter 8: Reflections (REWRITE IN PROGRESS)

Chapter 9: Special Sauce Part 1, Part 2 (REWRITE IN PROGRESS)

Chapter 10: Family Heirloom (Under heavy rewriting and editing)

Part 2: Over Yonder

Chapter 11:[ TBD]

Polls:

Pick a sleep paralysis entity/being to haunt The Aid!

Art:

Bad Procreate Portrait! +Backstory

Lashings

Basement Dayz

SPD Basement Haunting

Other:

"Life Before" Backstory ask

OC in 3 (Aid vibe pics, visual references)

[emmettland]

okay i reworked G/G Cal's backstory and i think i like it more

not only does it still set up Cal as being responsible for Malu's transformation AND turns Kel into Cal's whumpee (which i like to have a constant for them), but i want to emphasize throughout this story that the roles of Golds and Greens are entirely imposed by society; the biology really does not matter. if Gelion started through genome editing people to be either Greens or Golds, you can just as easily genome edit them again -- or possibly even back to being normal humans.

[whumpsical]

Jay

contents: flashback to a minor whumpee, homelessness, discussed homophobia, bio family blues

Some sweet comfort from one the rockiest eras of Jian's past <3 the gays stick together <33

sometime in 2014

taglist!!! @yet-another-heathen @much-ado-about-whumping @minerscanary

🌲🌲🌲🌲

“Come here, Jay.”

Jian bristled.

He was only sixteen at the time. He didn’t like nicknames. He’d never liked nicknames. It wasn’t anyone’s fault; no one had beaten or bullied him out of a taste for them, and he had no past relationships to any particular nicknames to turn him off to the concept. He just didn’t like them.

But at Casanova, one of the many gay bars in Jian’s early rotations, the owner liked to call him Jay. And Jian found that it didn’t grate on his nerves the way it usually would, not coming from Cal.

Cal first caught Jian sneaking into Casanova on a chilly, rainy night. It wasn’t the first time Jian had gotten in. He’d just had a harder time blending with the partygoers that night: waterlogged and shivering, too exhausted to even talk, sitting by himself on a leather couch near the bathrooms. His clothes were damp, leeching all the warmth from his small body, but even shedding his wet jacket didn’t feel like an option. He was convinced that the moment he slipped his scrawny, narrow shoulders free, his age would be made even more pathetically obvious than it already was. It was better to keep still and try to pretend that he wasn’t there at all.

Cal was on the floor that night, covering for a sick bartender. He’d wondered how he’d missed the obviously underaged kid’s entrance into his bar. It was a Tuesday night. Not very busy at all. Maybe it was the rain. The patio sat empty, everyone instead gathering inside and cluttering up Cal’s view of the front door.

Jian flinched when Cal approached him. He was a tall, hefty man, comfortably in his fifties. Though with age his ratio of muscle to fat had shifted, he still had an intensely intimidating power in his stature, especially from where Jian was sitting.

“Hey,” Cal said, with just a hint of the stern edge to his voice which he only fully put on for the handsy creeps and mean drunks.

Jian looked up at the man, numb in the face. He had nothing to say, and was too shocked with cold and fear to even try to squeak out a word.

Cal stood tall, unyielding. “You wanna show me some ID?”

Jian looked at his shoes, a lump growing in his throat. His head was too misty to comprehend much, but he understood enough to recognize he’d been caught, which meant that he had to find somewhere else to hide from the rain. He already couldn’t remember how many times this had happened that night. All he knew was that he didn’t want to go back to the shelter, but he was quickly running out of options. With stiff, freezing hands and a weak, trembling effort, he pushed himself off the sticky seat and started on his staggering trek to the exit.

Cal’s large hands stopped him, butting against his shoulders. Not grabbing. Jian couldn’t even muster any awareness of the act, just pushing his empty body against Cal’s hands like they were an invisible wall in a video game. Cal pushed back a little more firmly, and Jian’s feet tripped to a halt. He stood in place, blinking through confused sparks in his eyes, feeling lightheaded.

“Hold on, hold on. Hey,” Cal said, stooping down to meet Jian’s eyes, and, as twenty-something year old Jian suddenly realized with fondness, to shield him from the activity of the bar around them. “Do you need… Would you like something hot to drink? A warm meal, maybe? Someplace dry?”

Jian had no clue what his face was doing. He remembered his body as a hollow wooden vessel. Still, something must have come across in his silence, because Cal softened even more.

“Look, I don’t know your situation,” he said, squeezing Jian’s shoulder. “But I can tell enough that you need help. I have the means. Come on, honey.”

Cal started to usher Jian towards the bar, and a volatile switch flipped in Jian’s gut, instantly rubbing every inch of his skin raw and sucking the air from his lungs.

“No,” Jian managed in a desperate whisper, shrugging his way out of Cal’s hands and stumbling backwards a few feet before blinking the blind terror from his eyes and halfway remembering where he was. Cal’s hands hovered in a deliberately non-threatening airspace, allowing Jian to retreat as far as he needed.

“Okay,” Cal said quickly, in a peaceful, hushed tone. Jian’s focus still whipped around the bar, but Cal let that manic vigilance die down in its own time, keeping his own body still and distant. “Okay. You don’t have to. But I really don’t want to send you back out there, to who knows what, without at least getting you dried off. You can stay here, honey. You don’t have to go.”

The vividness of Jian’s memory drained to an uninviting mist. He knew that at some point he’d started to cry, and that Cal had led him with an open hand -- so broad it nearly spanned Jian’s entire waistline, at least in those days -- to a more secluded area behind the bar, where both Cal and the small kitchen crew could keep an eye on him while he ravenously devoured a warm plate of various bar staples and a few Casanova specialties. Jian remembered being offered an offensively sugary Shirley Temple in that same spot, but that may have been on another night.

Sometime later, a shift change freed Cal up to drag a second black painted chair over to Jian’s, where he’d been working on drying himself off with an only slightly ratty towel, having adamantly refused a change of clothes from Cal’s apartment above the bar.

“Hey there, kiddo. You feeling any better?”

Jian nodded sheepishly, embarrassed at all the drama he’d become the center of tonight, now that the terror had mostly passed. The heat from the crowd and the food had long since stilled his shivering, and an almost contented sleepiness was taking over instead, a feeling so unfamiliar that he was struggling to guard against it, finding himself nodding off every now and then. He’d been focusing his energy on staying upright in the chair, and was glad for Cal’s interruption.

“I’d like to have a little chat with you, if that’s okay,” Cal said, leaning forward in his seat to match Jian’s height. Jian visibly tensed, swallowing nervously and breaking eye contact. Cal’s voice only softened more. “Sweetheart, you’re not in any trouble with me. What’s your name, honey?”

When Jian only gulped again with considerably more effort, his eyebrows starting to knit with growing anxiety, Cal nodded thoughtfully.

“That’s okay, you don’t have to tell me.”

A rush of cool air flowed through Jian’s chest, relief unclenching his jaw before he’d even realized how tight he’d been squeezing it shut.

“I would like to know how old you are, though,” Cal continued lightly. “But don’t tell me that either. I want to guess. Flex my skills. Is that something the kids are saying today?”

One corner of Jian’s mouth lifted a bit.

“See, I’m out of the loop. This’ll be fun,” Cal said. “Hmm,” he hummed, one hand rubbing his chin as he made a show of scrutinizing Jian’s scrappy appearance. “I’ve got nieces in the eighth grade, but they’re all shorter than you. They definitely eat better, though.” Jian couldn’t help but chuckle silently under the heat of the spotlight, feeling himself becoming invested in the game, despite everything. “Fourteen, maybe? No, fifteen.” When Jian shook his head to both, Cal leaned back, worry overtaking his expression. “Oh, sweetheart, please don’t tell me I started too high. I don’t think I could handle it.”

Jian shook his head again, an easy smile finding its way onto his face. “Sixteen,” he said, his delicate voice all but confirming his answer.

Cal nodded, solemnity gently wafting away the air of humor that had eased them to this point. He leaned forward again, hands clasped in front of him, and looked into Jian’s eyes as he spoke. “It was a long time ago, but it was tough for me when I was that age, too. I can’t speak for your experience, honey, but I know what it’s like to feel alone in the world.”

His defenses down, Jian felt the words hit him square in his chest. Fear and apprehension prickled at the edges of the impact, but the crater was deep enough that genuine empathy was what struck Jian the most. He felt breathless and fragile as he listened, but he didn’t look away.

“I’ve seen some very good friends go down dark paths because of that feeling. And it’s hard to find your way back out. It’s hard out there, baby, I know. But no matter how lost you feel, you will never be unworthy of love, and safety, and peace. Do you understand me?”

Jian wasn’t sure that he did, but Cal spoke with such an urgency that Jian felt he should at least nod, though unease was building in his stomach again. Cal watched him with earnest conviction as he waited for Jian to answer, but Jian shied away from the intensity of it, breaking off eye contact and betraying the gnawing guilt he suddenly felt. Cal sighed, too softly to hear beneath the noise of the bar.

“I know that look, sweetheart. Your family?”

Jian hadn’t realized how obvious it could be. His stomach dropped and a flash of heat pushed tears behind his eyes as fresh wounds burst through their haphazard stitches. He could feel the metaphorical slam of the door all over again, the pain of his father’s violent and consummate rejection only compounded by the past year he’d spent trying to stitch himself back together without him. Failing miserably. He bit his cheek to keep the rest from spilling, and locked eyes with Cal to silently implore him to continue.

Cal didn’t falter. He wrapped Jian’s restlessly clenching fists between his warm hands and leaned in.

“There’s not a lot I can do to change the truly fucking awful things that happen in this world,” Cal said. “But what I can do is help lift some of the burdens that fall on us. You are welcome here, honey.” He accented this with a squeeze of Jian’s hands, then paused, blinked a few times, and made an undecided gesture with a tilt of his head. “Not in the bar, mind you.”

At the gentle chiding, Jian found himself laughing with him, vaguely relieved to be acknowledged as something other than a novelty or a criminal. Cal looked at him without hunger. Being the object of someone’s worry instead of their hatred or desire had faded to a memory from another world, and Jian didn’t know what to do with or even how to identify the bubbly feeling which sat high in his chest. The release of pressure set free a cold crop of tears that he had been clinging to. With grace, Cal let them fall without address.

“But any time it’s getting too heavy,” Cal continued, holding Jian’s hands tight, “if you’re ever hungry, tired, need someone to talk to, anything, you come to Casanova and you ask for Cal, okay? I mean it. We make our own families here.”

Jian nodded, with emphatic gratitude this time. His head felt too fuzzy and exhausted to really comprehend the mess of emotions that writhed and tangled inside him, like a rat’s nest of colorful yarn choking his heart, but the mess itself was colorful and soft, and that had to be enough for now. He took a steadying breath.

“My name’s Jian,” he said, feeling shy under the usually anonymizing glow of the blacklights. But Cal beamed.

“It’s very nice to meet you, Jian,” he said. “Now, the big questions: Do you have a place to stay tonight? Is there someone I can help you call, to let them know where you are?”

“No,” Jian said simply, and the scalding, mortified blush that would’ve normally flooded Jian’s entire face and neck just wasn’t there. Instead, Cal’s hands landed on his shoulders, blanketing him in steadiness and warmth without suffocating.

“Now you do, Jay. Now you do.’

From somewhere in the comfortable fog of Jian’s distant memory, Dickass Lee’s voice wormed back into his ears.

“Come here, Jay.”

Jian bristled.

“Ugh, yeah, no. No. I get it,” Dickass Lee said with a comically exaggerated shudder, mimicking the tension in his captive’s shoulders. “I’ll stick to ‘Jian.’”

[whump-captain]

- Day 7 -

Link your favourite whump fics

---

As ever, there is 0 chance i can settle on one single story so here's a few in a random order:

@whumpapalooza 's Space Interns series. You've got both little shorts and longer storylines, the Interns are immediately likeable, and the whump is delicious. It's got the exact space opera vibes that I love 👌 My favourite whumpee of theirs is Glen, so as a fave I'm choosing the Morozko storyline where he gets very nicely roughed up (◡‿◡)

@crash-bump-bring-the-whump 's stuff is all awesome, especially Bastian and Mariano, whose relationship I love so much it makes me want to hit things lmao. I think my favourites are their meeting, which is just magical, this scene where Mariano gets shot a lil bit, and this amazing story with some Top Notch dynamics and lots of concern for my injured fave (◡‿◡)

I'm also a big fan of @deepwoundsandfadedscars fanfics, including this Star Wars one where Cal falls off of a cliff (👌👌👌) and this The 100 one which gets special mention bc i'm not even in the fandom and i adore it lol

Also the entirety of In The Woods Somewhere by @knivestothroats, a story that has stuck with me ever since I read it and which is no exaggeration my writing goals.

[letthewhumpbegin]

Who / what fandoms I write for

Here's a list of the fandoms and the characters within said fandom I write about.

The characters listed will be the whumpees in the imagines I write. The caretaker does not specifically have to be on this list, but can be anyone from the same fandom (if you have a preference, please specify with your request).

Want to send in your request? I am currently only taking requests from my prompts list, which you can find here and you can also send in your request through there.

A

A-Team (movie): Face, Murdock

Aladdin (live action movie): Aladdin

American Assassin: Mitch Rapp

Avengers / Marvel: Ant-Man/Scott Lang, Captain America/Steve Rogers, Doctor Strange/Stephen Strange, Hawkeye/Clint Barton, Loki, Thor

B

The Batman (2022): Bruce Wayne

The Blacklist: Donald Ressler

Bullet Train: Tangerine

C

Criminal Minds: Spencer Reid

CSI: Greg Sanders, Nick Stokes

CSI NY: Danny Messer, Don Flack, Adam Ross

D

Dune: Paul Atreides

F

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: Newt Scamander, Theseus Scamander

G

Game of Thrones: Jon Snow, Robb Stark

Guardians of the Galaxy: Peter Quill

H

Hannibal (tv series): Will Graham

The Hobbit: Fili, Kili, Thorin, Thranduil

I

Inception: Arthur

J

James Bond (Daniel Craig era): James Bond, Q

Jurassic World: Owen Grady

Justified: Raylan Givens, Tim Gutterson

K

Kingsman: Eggsy Unwin

L

The Last of Us: Joel Miller

Lie to Me: Cal Lightman, Eli Loker

Lord of the Rings: Aragorn, Faramir, Legolas

M

MacGyver: Angus MacGyver

Maze Runner: Newt, Thomas

N

Now You See Me: Daniel Atlas

O

Olympus Has Fallen / London Has Fallen: Mike Banning

Our Flag Means Death: Ed Teach/Blackbeard

P

Pride + Prejudice + Zombies: Mr. Darcy

Prodigal Son: Malcolm Bright

The Purge (movies): Leo Barnes

S

Shadow & Bone / Six of Crow: Kaz Brekker, Jesper Fahey, Wylan van Eck

Sherlock (BBC): Sherlock Holmes

Star Trek (2009): Jim Kirk, Spock

Spiderman (Tom Holland era): Peter Parker

Star Wars: Poe Dameron

Supernatural: Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester

T

Top Gun Maverick: Rooster/Bradley Bradshaw, Hangman/Jake Seresin

U

Uncharted (movie): Nathan Drake

W

Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, Rick Grimes

Wonka: Willy Wonka

X

X-Men: Charles Xavier, Hank McCoy

[in-a-spring-way]

Intro<3

Hi hi!! It is time to finally make a side-blog for whump... I've been lurking for too long...

Call me Cal (she/him pronouns) ! I'm an adult and have been a whump enjoyer for many years by now <3 Mostly love it as a device for Caretaker x Whumpee angst! I am a writer myself (though I mostly use scenarios for daydreaming). I don't write exceptionally often but here is my Ao3 if you're curious

Regarding my taste/preferences, I used this tier list!

I don't know how much I'll personally be posting but I will reblog things I enjoy <3

[staydandy]

Lie to Me (2009) - Whump List

List by StayDandy Synopsis : Cal Lightman is the world's leading deception expert who studies facial expressions and involuntary body language. He works with local law enforcement to assist in investigations and expose the truth behind the lies. (Wiki)

Whumpee : Dr. Cal Lightman played by Tim Roth (2nd from right) • Eli Loker played by Brendan Hines (far right)

Country : 🇺🇸 America

Notes : This is a Partial List - I didn't list every bit of whump, just what caught my attention the most • The episode list is formatted season-episode : 00-00

Episodes on List : 3 Total Episodes : 48 Total Seasons : 3

*Spoilers below*

02-10 : Lightman helps diffuse a bomber case

02-12 : Loker is caught in an explosion right outside the office

03-11 : Lightman’s car is hit

[whump-kin]

The Portrait of King Montresor Valdemar & His Court Magician - Artist Unknown.

Sources say that the magician was spoken of by the king as a sort of surrogate son, although rumors abounded of a darker purpose for the king taking in the boy. Although not officially confirmed, it is believed the king was a vampire, and sired the magician as some sort of spawn.

Historical records are known to be incomplete due to a vast cloaking spell that King Valdemar laid over his kingdom. The artist and time period of this piece are unknown.

[whumpy-writings]

"Bite Down on This"

Febuwhump 2024 Day 3

The Dhampir Files Masterlist

CW: Abusive parents (whumpees are adults), lab whump, restraints, carewhumpers, and really, really bad sunburn

"Good morning, boys!" Cal flinched at father's voice and Renn wrapped his arm around him protectively. They had only been released from solitary confinement yesterday. In total, they had spent seventeen days in those dark cells after their escape attempt. Cal was still sensitive to noises, and he clung to Renn like he was the only thing keeping him safe. "We have a big day planned," Father continued. "But first things first - breakfast."

He opened the door to the cell and set down a tray with toast and two mugs of blood.

They ate slowly, Renn keeping one eye on their parents as they moved about the lab. The experiments were starting today, and Renn was ashamed to admit how scared he was.

"All done?" Mother asked. Renn and Cal both nodded. "Perfect, time to go outside." Renn blinked. He couldn't have heard that right. But Father unlocked the cell motioned for the boys to follow them up the stairs.

Cal stumbled on a step and fell to his knees. "I'm sorry, I haven't regained my strength."

Father sighed. "If you had eaten the food we provided you wouldn't be feeling so weak." He grabbed Cal by the elbow and supported him the rest of the way. As they emerged on the first floor for the first time in weeks, Renn was hit by the urge to run. He was fast, and if he could make it to the forest he could lose them. But there was no way Cal would be able to make it, and he couldn't leave him. Renn's heart sank as his hopes of escape dwindled down to zero.

They led them outside. Renn breathed in deeply. The smell of the grass and flowers filled his lungs. It was just before dawn and the sky to the east was a light gray.

Renn stopped walking when he saw the chains on the lawn. "What?"

Father grabbed his shoulder, his grip like iron. "Keep going." He led him closer to the chains. There were four of them, with one end staked into the ground and a metal shackle on the other end.

"Take your shirt off." Renn shook his head, fear closing up his throat.

"Fine." Father grabbed Renn's shirt and yanked it over his head. With his next breath he forced Renn onto his stomach.

"Let go of me!" Renn yelled. But Father was stronger than him and just snapped the shackles shut around his wrists. "Please!" Renn begged, panic building as his ankles were secured in shackles. They were going to leave them here to see how the sun affected them. Renn struggled against the shackles but it was no use. Cal was restrained the same way. He was shaking.

"The sun will be up within the hour," Mother said. "We will come check on you throughout the day."

"You'll kill us! Mother, Father, please don't do this." Renn sobbed, the panic clawing at his throat.

"Don't worry," Mother said, kneeling down and cradling Renn's cheek in her hand. "We won't let you die. You're too important. We'll check on you every hour. If the burns become too severe we'll end the experiment and bring you inside."

With that, they headed back to the safety of the house. Renn strained against the shackles as the world grew brighter. He had only been in the sun once before, when he was twelve and had fallen asleep on the window seat reading. He had forgotten to close the curtains, and when the sun came up he had awoken to burning pain on his face. A chill went up his spine as he remembered how attentive his parents were to his injury. They had been waiting for this moment.

The first rays of sunlight reached down. Renn gasped at the warmth on his back.

"It's okay Renn," Cal said. Renn looked at him. Cal gave him a tight smile. "We'll get through this. Together, alright?"

Renn nodded. He tried to steady his breathing as his back heated up. It didn't hurt. Not yet.

An hour in, their parents came out to check on them. Renn envied their sun cloaks.

"How do you feel, loves?"

"It stings," Ren said.

"How long ago did it start stinging?" Father asked.

"About ten minutes," Ren said.

"Interesting." Father paused and his pencil scratched across his notebook. "What about you, Callum?"

"I don't feel any pain," he said. "At least not yet."

"Fascinating." Father wrote something else down. "Renn's back is turning a pinkish color while Callum's is the same as it was when we started. I can't wait to see how things progress over the day."

Renn choked on a sob. It was going to get worse.

Their parents left them again. "Do you really not feel anything?" Renn asked.

"I mean, my back is warm, but it's not unpleasant."

"Lucky bastard," Renn muttered.

"I'm sure my turn will come."

Another hour passed. Renn squirmed on the ground. Now it burned. He groaned.

"Oh my." He hadn't even heard mother approach. "Renn, you're almost as red as my roses."

"It-it hurts," he stammered. "It hurts so much." He didn't attempt to stop the tears from rolling down his cheeks. "Please let me come inside. Please."

"I'm sorry, I can't do that, sweetie. We need to test the limits of what your body's capable of. Cal, how do you feel?"

"It's starting to sting," he said. "I can handle it for now. But please, please let Renn go inside. You have enough data."

"No," father said. "We need to know when the third degree burns start. For vampires, it sets in within the first hour. You two are entering hour number three. It looks like Renn is still experiencing first degree burns, and you have barely started to burn yet."

"Stay strong, boys," mother said.

Then they left them again.

Renn was on fire. He was going to burn to death, here in the sun. It wasn't just his back. It was his arms, the backs of his hands, his neck. Everywhere the sun touched was like fire on his skin.

Renn's forehead rested on the ground and he took in a shaky breath. They would see reason soon, right? They would realize that these were their children that they were torturing, and they would come out and get them.

The hours passed slowly. Renn started screaming at noon. The fire was under his skin. It felt like his muscles were roasting on his bones. He sobbed and pulled at the restraints. He rubbed his skin raw and blood trickled down his wrists and ankles, but it was no use.

Their parents came back. Mother knelt down in front of Renn. "You're doing so well. I'm so proud of you."

Renn sobbed. He hated her. He hated both of them. "Please Mom, please make it stop." His throat was raw from screaming but he managed to croak out the plea.

"I'm sorry my beautiful boy, I can't do that," she said. "But you can bite down on this to help with the pain." She had a wooden spoon. Renn almost refused it. He didn't want a fuckin' spoon. He wanted to be inside, safe from the sun. But that obviously wasn't an option. He opened his mouth and bit down on the offered spoon handle.

Cal was feeling the burn now too. His face was coated in sweat and he whimpered. "It won't last forever," he whispered. Renn didn't know if Cal was talking to him or to himself. "It won't last forever."

Renn felt the skin on his back crack and hot blood bubble to the surface. He bit down as hard as he could and screamed.

The next time they came to check on him Renn was barely conscious. The pain was being replaced with numbness. He had given up trying to escape and just lay there in the grass, forehead on the ground as he burned alive.

They asked him something, but he couldn't hear the words. All he heard was the pounding of his heart, which he was sure would burst soon.

He shrieked when a hand touched his wrist, and tried to jerk away. The sudden movement split his burnt skin open and Renn blacked out for a second. They set some sort of fabric on top of him. He should have felt relief because of the protection from the sun's rays, but instead the fabric scratched his wounds and tore another scream from his throat. He bit down and the spoon cracked in half.

"We're taking you inside," Mother said. "You did so good. We're taking you inside now, love."

Renn shook, feeling both like he was burning and like he was frozen as they carried him inside. Father had an arm under his thighs and another gently supporting his neck so he was leaning over his shoulder. That meant that Renn had a clear view of Mother kneeling next to Cal, taking notes as he burned and begged for mercy that wouldn't come.

Taglist: @dragonqueenslayer6 @whumpsday

[leyswhumpdump]

Upcoming Whump Projects

By making this my pinned post, I’m hoping to be able to maintain momentum on them. So far my focus has mainly been on the last three.

As the Scales Fall—mer whump with a 19th century aesthetic. Maybe some lab whump, definitely a lot of captivity. Based off my story Overboard. This one’s a little less formed than the others.

When Cal’s ship is wrecked by the siren calls of mer courtship, he is looked after by Iersi, a mer who’s been outcast from his clan. Unfortunately, a cryptozoologist is on his way to investigate yet another shipwreck in the same waters—and this time he might just find what he’s looking for.

Beneath Perception—superpowered lab whump with a frequently-invisible little whumpee. A lot of hurt and (for the first arc at least) very little comfort. The first arc will have 7 decent-sized episodes and maybe some drabble to fit in between. It’ll probably be the first series I post when I’m off hiatus.

On his 18th birthday, Adam “Addy” Addison faces the choice of either certain death or an opportunity to expand the world’s knowledge of the Attributed. He chooses the latter, not really understanding what it entails.

Hidden Ink—post-societal-collapse whump revolving around terrible secrets and horrifying technologies. This is my novel project and the only one that’s definitely not being posted before it’s finished.

Mika finds a boy caught in a bear trap in the forest, and struggles to find a way to communicate with him. Meanwhile Ari, increasingly desperate to convey the urgency of his situation, finds himself frustrated by the language barrier between them.

Prospect City—futuristic mob whump with a more cyberpunk take on the BBU. Not really about pets though. Loosely inspired by Teddy Bear. If I write anything as a randomly-updated post-as-I-write series, it’ll probably be this one.

When Damian’s gifted a “vat boy”—a lab-grown human programmed to meet the needs of their user—he’s surprised to discover his new acquisition has a fair few glitches. Unfortunately, he’s in an increasingly difficult spot with various mob and corporate enemies, and little Kiri is just a liability. Or maybe, just maybe, he’s going to be the thing that makes Damian a better person.

[obsessedwithegos]

Whump Others Masterlist

Whump intro / Whump Boundaries / Nsfwhump blog (18+)

Writing Masterpost / Art Masterpost / Prompt Masterpost

My whumpees / whumpers / caretakers / other

Open for whump prompts and character interaction! (Ask box: Anon on , Submission box; for if the ask limits aren’t enough)

~~~~~~~~~~

AUs:

Model Au - Fashion designer and photographer Bebê and manager and publisher Alistair team up to launch a magazine called Playbê featuring their models Runa and Thei.

Recaptured Emil Au - Key recaptures Emil and gifts him to Kira.

Feral Mylien Au - Mylien goes feral, but not quite in the way that Valen expected.

Android Nova Au - While trying to help her brother while he’s feral, Nova gets fatally wounded and is unknowingly turned into an android to save her life.

A Fairy’s Pet Au - Pre-whumped Kira kidnaps Emil

Worst Timeline Emil - After being freed from Tael, Emil is taken by angels as a witness of Tael and as a prisoner.

Reversed Royalty AU - Prince Thei is the oddball of the Tiamat family, a criminal named Alistair gives him the experience of life that he’s been looking for

Unholy Swap AU - Swap AU with Emil and Tael

Waterlogged Fae AU - Swap AU with Runa and Bebê, where Runa never became a performer and Bebê is a fisherman that may or may not also fish for mermaids/sirens

The devil on a fairy’s shoulder AU - Swap AU with Kira and Key

Tiny Runa AU - An AU where a tiny Runa is kidnapped to become a pet fish

Swap Dor and Faust AU - Swap au of Dor and Faust

~~~~~~~~~~ 

Others art (Not always whump):

Willing test subject - emmettnet - Features Selin and Cal (Emmett’s character)

Smile for the Camera Runa (Commission) - iuca - Features Runa

Showing sewing progress (Commission) - thebluejaysworld - Features Eliza and Berkley (JJ’s character)

New Fangs for Eliza (Commission) - thebluejaysworld - Features Eliza and Berkley (JJ’s character)

A model for possible sale (Commission) - emmettnet - Features Runa, Bebê, and Vale (Emmett’s character)

Sharing comforts (Commission) - emmettnet - Features Eliza and Denice (Emmett’s character)

Distracting Art - emmettnet - Features Dirk (Emmett’s character) and Tael

Selin transforming and Ruru (Commissions) - INFERNOFEARR on twitter - Features Selin (x4) and Ruru

Totally Normal About Unicorns (+ art for @/thebluejayswhump) - emmettnet- Features Faust and Helgi, also Mibium and octavian (JJ’s characters)

Broken horn - emmettnet - Features Faust

Bell ringer - cremsie - Features Mylien

Floating - byte from silkenblankets - Features Runa

Hurt/Comfort (Gore warning) - iuca/jesterboy - features Emil

Let The Experiment Begin - emmettnet - Features Abaellis and Abaellis’s Shadow

[deepwoundsandfadedscars]

weirder asks 1, 12, 32? :D

who is/are your comfort character(s)

Oh man, I feel like I have so many, and 'comfort character' always comes down to 'current fav whumpees' tbh 😂 Some of my longterm faves are definitely Cal Kestis, John Murphy, and Amos Burton (Space Boys!!)

12. what kind of day is it?

A long one 😴 I stayed in bed cuddling with my cats until noon (didn't go to bed till almost 2 AM last night) and then played some Ghost of Tsushima while procrastinating on the studying I should be doing for my course. Then I had to get all my stuff back together and hit the road to get back to school. Between my last text I sent before I left home and when I was finally settled back in my room was three hours and I am le tired

32. do you have a favorite towel?

not one specifically but I have two each of two favourite 'styles', which are basically just really soft beach towels, so they're really big and soft and I really like them. Two are black and just smooth texture, and then the other two are green and have like little ribs like textures across them.

[i-can-even-burn-salad]

Darkness

Thorns & Jasmine

In which things have gone really dark, and our boy is very close to losing his mind.

Warnings: Captivity, blinded, brief suicidal ideation (as in contemplating using too much magic so it could be lethal), aftermath of torture (burns, cuts, broken bones, wounds)

Previous | Masterlist | Next

Dark.

Everything was so dark.

Caldyn was lying on his back, staring into endless darkness. Nothingness. Was it the same? He couldn’t recall having ever been in true darkness before. The forest was always bright, even at night. The sky with the two moons, never new at the same time, and littered with countless stars. Even if it was cloudy, many plants in the Wilds glowed at night, too. Their bioluminescent blooms and leaves came in so many different colors. In his home, most of them had been golden or pale yellow, with occasional streaks of red and purple.

And even if he couldn’t see the sky, was far away from the plants, walking through the tunnels in his parent’s bark or exploring caverns, there had been his own glow to illuminate him the way; bands in the bark of his body, shimmering at night in a pale green. It had always been there, every moment of his life.

Now, there was nothing. All that was left was unbearable pain, and the Scourge, whispering at the edge of his consciousness. It was louder now, closer. Threatening him, luring him. There was nothing to distract him from it. He couldn’t watch the branches and leaves anymore, as horrible as they had been. It was quiet and windless, and the occasional sound in the distance did nothing to calm him. Every rustle, every whisper made him wince, quickening his breaths.

He was afraid. Terribly, utterly afraid. Afraid to breathe, when every breath filled his chest with fire. Afraid to move, even though his arms were tense, his back cramping. Afraid of what would become of him when he gave in, and what they would do to him if he didn’t. Wondering how they would torture him next, what else they would take from him.

There had been this hope, this tiny sliver of hope that someone could have noticed he was gone, would come looking for him.

This hope had died, had dripped away with each drop of sap leaving his body.

Even if someone had noticed he was gone, how should they find him? When he had attempted to escape, when the Ceodh had dragged him back through the endless tunnels, he had seen the other victims. Sometimes he could still hear them scream, distant, but loud enough that the terror behind their voices made him shiver. No one had come looking for them, either. No one would.

He would die.

He didn’t want to die, still didn’t, but he wasn’t afraid of it anymore. Whatever would be waiting for him in the aether, it couldn’t be worse than this. What he was afraid of was how he would die, if they’d even allow him to. It wasn’t the first time he wondered if this was the one thing he could possibly still decide himself.

When he tried to lift his right hand, pain seared through his shoulder. He gasped, freezing, trying to figure out where it came from. He couldn’t remember an injury at this spot, but the last hours had all but vanished in a fog of agony and despair. Or had it been days? He couldn’t even tell anymore, had no way to figure out how much time had passed.

He flexed the vines in his arm, and it hurt, but now that he was expecting it, it wasn’t so bad anymore. Not worse than any of his other injuries. Something must have torn inside his shoulder when he had tried to free himself from the Ceodhs’ grasp. Perhaps the vines had ripped, perhaps even the wooden core snapped. It didn’t matter. He raised his hand again, pushing it upwards against his side. He had to keep pausing, barely able to breathe through the pain.

Then finally his fingers rested on his core, trembling as he took a shaky breath, attempting to concentrate. Usually, there was energy in him, the energy he could use in the shape of life magic. He could feel it in everything that was alive, it guided him when he healed others, he had drained it when he had killed the Ceodh.

There was nothing left of it now. The only thing that remained was the energy that was his very life; and it was slowly but surely running out, too.

He had never tried to use it before, and he wasn’t even sure if he could. It wasn’t made for this. He instinctively knew that it would weaken him, perhaps even kill him. It was tempting to try. Instead, he let his hand sink with a choked sob. He couldn’t do it.

It wasn’t even hope that made him cling to life, it was despair. The moment he had concentrated on the aether, the Scourge’s whisper had become louder. It was everywhere, it was waiting for him, and he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to fight it off. What if it could take control over him when he became too weak, if it perhaps could even take over his body when his mind left? Not that he believed that this broken husk he was trapped in would be of any use to the Scourge.

But what if it was.

Suddenly there were too many emotions, too much fear, too much despair, too much hopelessness. They turned into anger and he gripped the moss he was lying on, flat and sticky with sap. The pain in his hand and shoulder made him scream as he tried to sit up, to move, to do anything, because he couldn’t take it anymore, just lying here, waiting to die.

The moss was sticking to his back, or his back was sticking to the moss, pulling him down. Where it came off, it might as well have been his bark, separating from his body. He screamed louder, more horrified by the disgusting image this feeling had left in his mind than by the pain. But he didn’t manage to get up, and when he sank back, the moss had shifted, and now it was all wrong, pressing into new tears, while the old ones started to ooze sap again. He tried to move, to find the right position again, but it didn’t work, it just twisted his broken knee.

It was agony, and he screamed, torn apart by despaired sobs. He wanted it all to end. Between screams, he cursed, the Ceodh and the Scourge and his people, because they didn’t come to save him, and himself, because he hadn’t given up when he had had the chance.

Perhaps they’d hear him.

Perhaps they’d come and torment him some more.

Perhaps they’d finally kill him.

But no one came, and his screams didn’t last long. They turned into ragged breaths as the bit of strength his anger had given him left him. His head sank back, rolling to the side, until he jerked it back up when the moss brushed his cheek, too close to his burned eyes. His arms were trembling, and it made the pain in his shoulder flare up again. It didn’t stop, even as he tried to relax. Instead, his whole body started to shake, his head started to spin. He was falling, falling, falling, and there was no end to the fall, and no end to the agony. It was pulling him down and he couldn’t fight it anymore, knowing that this was all that was left for him. Terror and pain and despair, only eased by those short moments of reprieve when his mind slipped away.

He didn’t want to die.

He just wished he didn’t have to wake up again.

  Caldyn woke up to a pained whimper, escaping his lips, reaching his ears before he could even realize it was him who had caused this sound. Fear seized his core, turning into panic as he heard a soft rustle nearby. They couldn’t be back, couldn’t hurt him again, he couldn’t take it anymore. He tried to curl up, his despaired sobs turning into muffled screams as he pushed himself to the side, rolling over his injured shoulder. He hid his face under his left arm, trying to hear more than his own gasps for air. Listening for steps, for whispers, for anything, but there was nothing. They could still be here, standing still, quiet, waiting for him to trust the silence. He could barely breathe, his body tense, waiting for an attack that didn’t come.

There was a low whine, and this time it wasn’t him, couldn’t have been him, he had been too busy just breathing. He froze, listening. There it was again. It didn’t seem to come closer, it didn’t seem threatening, but he didn’t know what it was, and he couldn’t see what it was, and that was enough to almost drive him insane.

“Is... there... -one” He could barely speak, his throat so dry, raw from how much he had screamed. “Please.”

There was no reply. Of course there wasn’t.

If it was them, they’d enjoy watching him suffer like this. If it was another kalani, they were probably close to dying or had gone mad already. As he would soon, too, there was no doubt. But if it wasn’t? Caldyn tried to think, but it was so hard to form a single clear thought.

The noise returned, and it brought an image, so foreign it took Caldyn a moment to make sense of what he was feeling. A small creature, helpless and terrified. An animal, but it seemed to share the empathic bond of his race.

Perhaps knowing that the noise meant no danger would have been enough to calm him down, but it had sparked some curiosity. Despaired curiosity, when all else there was to do was to stare into nothingness and slowly lose his mind.

Propping himself up, just enough so he could drag himself forward with his left arm, he already regretted his decision. It hurt even more than just lying around; the moss scratching against the wounds on his chest, his shoulder, as he tried to keep himself from tipping to the side, his broken legs, being dragged behind him.

But this pain he could control, giving him the illusion that he’d also be able to stop it, if he just held still again. Which also meant that he couldn’t stop, he had to keep doing something, because deep down he knew it wasn't true, it would never stop. Even if this something was nothing more than dragging himself one step along the floor, until his head touched the branches that trapped him.

Caldyn dropped down and reached out, stretching as far as he could, until his fingers brushed the bars of another cage. He felt leaves, just behind the branches; cool leaves, and they were quivering. They started to move when he touched them, and for a moment he was afraid again. What if that thing wasn’t friendly, was perhaps scared of him and would attack?

If his efforts had left him any breath, he could have laughed at this thought. There was nothing he had to lose. His left hand was already almost useless. Not that his right hand was of much help, either, now that he couldn’t move his arm.

His worry faded when something touched his fingers, so lightly it barely hurt. Then something stroked his palm, soft and cool and slightly moist. He realized that this creature must be licking his hand. He just let it happen, waiting anxiously.

After a moment, it whined again, and the tongue vanished, and the leaves returned. Caldyn raised his thumb, weakly stroking whatever part of the creature was closest. He traced its shape as far as he could, finding its ear as it nuzzled its head against his hand. The creature whimpered, and the sound carried this strange meaning with it. Too foreign to anything he had ever sensed in the words of his people, yet somehow familiar in a way he couldn’t put into words.

The creature was friendly, and oh so scared.

“I’m... sorry.”

The words could mean nothing for this creature, and Caldyn was sure there was nothing but pain and despair in the meaning behind them. It wasn’t fair. He didn’t want to think about what the Ceodh had captured this creature for, what they’d do to it. As he kept stroking its head, it slowly stopped trembling. He could feel the creature’s trust, trust in him, in his tiny, friendly touch.

After a while, Caldyn calmed down, too. He was scared still, but it wasn’t this all-encompassing terror anymore. He could breathe again, even if his breaths were shallow and way too quick. His body was only trembling from exhaustion and pain, not tearing him apart in frightened shivers. He concentrated on the feeling of cool leaves under his fingertips, and it was finally enough to stop thinking, to forget, even if just for one moment.

Perhaps today wouldn’t be the day he lost his mind after all.

When he felt how his consciousness started to drift away again, he pulled his arm back. He didn’t want to risk being found like this, to show them that he cared about this creature. It whined softly and he heard a scratching noise, then a whimper.

“’m sorry.”

He just hoped it wouldn’t injure itself on the thorny branches. But there was nothing he could do about it, nothing he could do at all. He barely managed to bed his head on his arm, trying to keep all pressure of his face, before his mind slipped away, granting him what could only be too little rest.

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