Little Ray of Sunshine

“Interesting…” Spades said aloud twirling a heavily jeweled blade around in his hand as he stood before a cell chamber. “Now this right here. There's not an surface untouched by the faith and prosperity on. It'll be excellent to exercise it's abilities out today wouldn’t you say?”

A choked out laugh escaped the young hyena who remained permanently plastered to the cell wall behind him, “And you call us monsters.”

The cougar snorted turning his attention to the blade he held. “I’m not the only one who calls vermin like yourself monsters. All life on earth does.” With bullet-like-speed Spades drove the blade within the center of a shadow grinning as he watched the pup cringe in pain. “Everyone believes I’m a hero slaying a beast for what I do to your kind. No one cares for the life of a sin…”

“What the hell is your problem…?” Slender growled, his voice sounded as if multiple people were speaking at once. “Whatever did we do to you?” One of his eyes became visible through the darkness as his hair fell out of his face. It glowed faintly as it glared the general down from the corner where the child sat in.  

His cold eyes watched him in return, “Your filthy presence still existing on these holy grounds…”

“But we…” his voice hinted a slight tremble. “We haven’t done anything wrong…”

“Your reputation from your past lives has…” Spades’s eyes seemed to spark a glint of sick amusement as his gaze traveled down to the weapon he held before he continued, “No matter how much a pup like you wishes to be cared for, or loved…”  His words ceased for he was now dangerously starring the boy down again, his voice came out in cruel and uncaring hiss. “No one will ever love you for what you are. For what you hold in your veins is that of the Devil…”  

“My mother loved me!!” he cried, “YOU TOOK HER AWAY!!” Slender was now trembling uncontrollably, not from fear but from an unbridled rage he’d never felt before. Both of his eyes began to glow brightly illuminating the shadows surrounding him. Clenching his battered fists at his side he lunged out at the cougar, “YOU KILLED HER!” he screamed out as he was sharply held back by the chains binding him, tears stung his sore face as they began to trickle down his cheeks. “YOU KILLED HER!” He repeated, the shadows suddenly came to life tearing themselves from the stone walls and thrashing madly around the distressed child.

The cougar remained unfazed from the child’s outrage, he seemed to study him more than show any hint of emotion. “When I hunted the both of you down it was your mother who begged me to kill her. She was the one who threw herself at my feet after handing you over…” A demented grin slowly grew along his face. “After birthing an abomination, I don’t blame her for wanting to die.”

Slender went quiet. Starring wide-eyed at the floor while his hands continued to tremble. The shadows around the him looked at the boy as he managed to speak, though from the way he spoke it was clear his mind was beginning to splinter and crack as a toothy grin spread across his face. “N-nobody loves me huh…? Ehehehehe…” His eyes moved back up to Spades locking in an unsettling direct contact. “What do you even know about love?” The smile on the boys’ face faded into a malicious frown; to Spades it seemed as if Slender’s form was beginning to flicker between the boy and Hearts. His strained voice morphed into that of a woman’s. “You have no right to speak of such things…”

His pupils immediately turned to slits as the boys’ form changed, hatred clearly spoken in his voice as he retorted back at the creature in a growl. “I have every right to speak of it demon…”

“I really don’t think you do…” The feminine voice continued in a hollow tone, “After all, you threw that all away when you killed the only animal who ever loved you…” It paused briefly as the shadowed figure stared blankly at him from inside the cell. “Am I wrong…?”

The cougar snorted in a repulsive manner, “From what I recall that love went out the door immediate after you left…”

“What other choice did I have? I knew what you would have done to them…”  

Spades’s eyes narrowed at the shadow, his natural rough voice hissed venomously as his responded. “You knew the Guard would have had them die by my hands…”

“…I couldn’t let that happen”

An ear splitting BANG ripped through the damp air as Spades bashed his right arm into the cell bars with sudden rage. “And because of your decision you chose your own FATE!” He shouted, a hint of pain readable underneath his rage.

The smoothed shadowy form of the woman transfigured to that of a shredded body. Tears began streaming effortlessly down her face as the deep wounds which covered her slim body began to ooze and drip blood to the stone floor. “My fate was to die…because I cared about our children…?”

“You cared for only that of the Devil!” He roared wielding his arm back from the cell bars, his face contorted in a mixture of pain even though his eyes were set on her like daggers. “There was no children to care for!”

The woman’s figure melted away, returning to that of the small boy. Slender watched Spades blankly his face voided of emotion. “You’re really a despicable existence…”

“ENOUGH OF YOUR TRICKS!” Spades snarled in a peeked rage. With the blade placed in his firm grip, the cougar reared back and projected it at lightning speed towards the boy. It slipped past with ease over his right shoulder before lodging itself into the stone wall behind him expelling a cloud of debris in the air.

Slender didn’t even flinch as the blade flew past him, nor did he care that it had gazed his lower neck which had started to burn in a dull pain as he started to bleed. “Her shadows a sad one…” He glanced at the blade before back at Spades. “You made someone so kind… so very sad…”

“Like I care anymore about her…” He hissed turning his body abruptly from the cell leaving his back exposed to him. “…She’s dead and gone.”  

“Look at you, riled up by a damn child.” His toothy grin returned as he watched the Generals pain with growing amusement. “You’re a damn fool.”

“If you weren’t wanted alive by the Queen, I would have killed you the same night I did to your so called loving mother.” He muttered in a murderous tone turning his piercing gaze back on the boy from over his shoulder.

“Sounds as if your stuck with a nasty predicament then.” The child snickered, still making direct eye contact with Spades. “How exactly does it feel to be judged by a sin?”

His tail lashed repeatedly back and forth behind him. “I’ll live with it.” He withdrew his gaze from the child’s, “I know well enough that I’ll be the one to kill you once we’ve extracted the information we need from you…”

A chackling laugh broke from the boy, “I see right through you~!” His grin widen with glee, “Hiding behind that intimidation and those worthless threats. You’re pathetic~!”

“We’ll see…” he growled lowly, turning back and headed towards the direction of the entrance of the dungeon his ears pinning back as Slender’s laughter followed him out in twisted echo.


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Later that evening during the dead of night, a small fawn had made her way down to the dungeons after slipping from her bedchambers to see the young hyena again.

Being gigantic in comparison to her petit body she pressed her forehead against the metal framed doors causing them both to creak as she quickly clambered her way inside. Her hooves delicately created a light pitter patter as she made her way through the stone prison each step taking her closer to the boys’ cell.

Slender sat with his back turned in his usual corner, his body still trembling from the events that occurred earlier that day. His ears twitched as he heard the fawn draw nearer, pressing his lips together he growled, “Go away…” as she came into his line of sight.

Taken aback by his abrupt remark, Uno frowned in the direction she heard his voice. “Hello to you too.” She huffed stopping before the bars to his cell.

Slender merely glared at her. “Go away. I don’t need your pity…”

“Well I didn’t bring you any pity. I did get you some more water and food.” She told him annoyed by his response. Turning her head over her shoulder she reached for a leather bound satchel hung loosely across her back.

“…Why are you even helping me?”  

The fawn turned her attention back towards him, as if puzzled why he had asked her such an absurd question. She placed the satchel at her hooves, “You shouldn’t be down here, all that has happened to you is wrong.”

“I don’t think you understand what I am…” He stated gruffly, his teeth slightly bared at her.

Her ears drooped to the sides of her face, her visible eye drifted downwards as if ashamed she knew the answer. “You’re a boy who’s been used a weapon for the Royal Guard to assist the virtue in vanquishing your kind off the planet… and it’s all because you were born as the Sin of Sloth…” She glanced back up at him her mane falling away to reveal the mark of the virtue in her vibrant blue eye. “You’ve been hurt for a cause I’ve never wanted to follow…”

Slender’s glare only darkened towards her, “yeah it’s all because I am a monster…” He turned his gaze to one of the walls surrounding him, grunting as his hatred grew towards outside world.

Uno sighed eyeing the bars to his prison. “Slender, why do you keep calling yourself a monster?” She asked before attempting to squeeze herself through the bars. Though it was a tight squeeze the fawn managed to push herself in, falling flat onto her stomach with a, “oof!” as she entered his cell.

Slender remained facing the wall as if she hadn’t entered at all, he growled lightly in a tired tone. “Everyone else does…”

“Well I’m nothing like them.” She practically chirped, picking the satchel up with her mouth as she got to her feet. Quietly she made her way over to him placing the bag at his feet.

“How am I supposed to know that?” He muttered suspiciously, now eyeing her as she drew closure.

Her purple tipped ears angled forward, “You’ll just have to trust me.” She spoke with a small smile.

He scoffed at her words, “Where did trust ever get anyone?”

She shook her head, “Oh never mind!” She exclaimed scooting the leather satchel against his toes. “Here at least eat something please, you look as if you haven’t eaten in a good while.”

“…Fine…” He muttered out in a dry tone. It was true, slender hadn’t eaten for what seemed to be weeks but he only rummaged inside the bag to appease the deer.

“Thank you.” She stated waiting patiently before continuing, “I didn’t know what you’d prefer to eat so I got anything I could from the kitchens.”

“Thanks, I guess.” He grumbled placing the bag back down. Though he was starving, his appetite was vanquished from the unbearable pain throbbing from the gaping wound centered in the middle of his chest. He’d just have to endure with it for now.

“You’re Welcome.” She said quietly. She peered down at his chest as if she had reading his mind, “How’s your chest healing up?”

“It’s not… the shadows are stopping the bleeding but it’s still not good for any of the other sins…” He shuddered at the memory when he’d received the wound.

“Well it’s not good for you either if it’s not healing.” She remarked with concern.

“IT’S NEVER GOING TO HEAL!” He snapped. His hands immediately shot up to cover his face as his body shook tremendously, his breathing quickening as he fought to hold back his growing tears. “so…so just…quit worrying about it…”

Startled by his sudden reaction, Uno flinched clamping her eyes shut in fright. As his voice changed to a tremble, she reopened them her ears drooping backwards as she spoke. “I was worrying about you.”

He snarled quietly, still covering his face. “Why…I don’t understand…” His eyes flicked up to her and narrowed at her. “No one cares…”

She locked her eyes with his, creating direct eye contact between the two children. Slowly yet carefully Uno sat down before him onto the stone floor as if he’d vanish from her sight if her movements were carried out too quickly. Quietly she cleared her throat, “…Well now there’s somebody who does care about you.”

He stared at her as if she was mental. He hadn’t even realized that the shadows around him; including his own were riled up from his outburst. They thrashed violently around the two, pulverizing themselves against the walls and floor. Words had utterly escaped him as his mind scrambled to respond, “Wha…do you…” Finally, he frowned at her his expression turning cold again as he growled, “…Why…?”

Trying her best not flinch as the shadows lashed out around the both of them, Uno maintain eye contact with him. “No one should be treated like an unseen shadow…”

“I’m used to it.” Slender stated darkly, his eyes glowing menacingly at her.

“But do you enjoy being used to it?” Concern auditable in her voice as she questioned him.

“Why would I like being used to it?” He growled lightly at her, turning his gaze onto the floor his ears drooping in defeat. “Why would anyone enjoy being treated this way…?”

“Because whenever I see you and try to help, you reject my assistance by becoming defensive towards me as if I’d hurt you in some way.”

“All anyone has ever done is hurt me…” His voice trembled in a hurt tone, “I believed my mother cared for me, but evidently that wasn’t the case…” Tears began to slowly fall from his cheeks.  

She shifted forms, leaving a petite girl in front of him instead of a small fawn. Untamable curly locks covered half of her face which were various hues of purple that traveled in a mess down her slim shoulders. Calmly she extended a hand out to him a warm smile spread along her face. “I promise I’ll never be the one to hurt you. As long as you trust me.”

He stared blankly at her hand for a moment, longing readable across his face before cautiously reaching out a hand and grabbing a hold of her own. Suddenly Slender came to realize how odd it actually felt with their hands held together in just that handful of seconds. It was completely foreign feeling a such gentle hand against his, he’d never had the chance to experience something like this in his short life.

At the sign of his trust her eyes sparkled against the darkness as she peered back up at his face her smile now an adorable grin. “As long this hearts still beating,” She paused taking her other hand crossing her index finger over her heart in an X pattern. “I’ll always be the one here for you.”

The faintest smile crossed Slender’s face, wiping away his tears. “Thank you, Uno.”