Horns ✖

Understand Me

Sicklehorn...

"I assume he knows, now," growled Greyfang in a gnarly voice; the defeated raptor's tail was still trapped well beneath the foot of the long-neck, Rumble. He snarled quietly as I wandered on by, wrinkling his brow and curling his lips. Though my attempts to ignore him were feeble, it wasn't meant to pester his emotions, but simply to calm myself from the solemn gazes of my three friends near the cavern's entrance. A figure suddenly stepped forth -- Rockhorn -- hoping to pass on some good words of the wise. But he halted just after I locked eyes with him. Just that one fierce stare, and a shake of my horned head, was enough to tell the worried herbivore of my intentions, and waver his offer away with a voiceless request.

"Y-You s-sure?" he asked.

I snorted. My heart quaked over the fear of upsetting one of my good friends, let alone spilling him the truth. Above all else, I didn't hope to scare him. Both nostrils flared and my tail twirling low in thought, before a soft nod came from me. And, so, Rockhorn swallowed, taking a step back to respect my space. He knew just as well as I did that any three-horn's anger was meant to be avoided at all costs. Just a little tampering could cause hellfire. Alas, he didn't wish to worsen it like the others had.

Though some decided otherwise.

"Doesn't it hurt, three-horn?" Greyfang sneered from a distance. "All of those memories, all of that emotion, rushing full speed into your pitiful head like a comet..."

He tilted his head, noticing my head beginning to bow in shame, and rasped in pure pleasure. "You can't even look at me... can you?"

Rockhorn turned to me. "Is he-"

I nodded. Yes, he's talking to me.

"S-Stop it..." Rockhorn suddenly snarled at the raptor. "H-He's gone t-through e-enough-"

"I consider your incompetence to apologize is too much to handle," Greyfang continued leisurely, "knowing there's nothing in the world you can say or do... to reprimand what you've done-"

"S-Stop t-talking, you s-stupid b-bird!" Rockhorn spat, stepping between my body and his defensively. The raptor's nares widened.

"Or w-what?" he mocked, puffing his feathers out in amusement. "You'll t-t-talk me down? I can understand you, rockhead!"

Before Rockhorn could commit to something reckless, I stomped my foot on the ground, sending a tremor through the cavern floor, and ceasing their movements. My eyes looked between the two, then gazed up at the silent long-necks, still looking down at me with sorrow. There's so much I wanted to say, so much I wanted to apologize for. All of my efforts have doomed them, broken them, humiliated them. And worse, endangered them from my mistakes. I had nothing noble to say, nothing more pleasant to do other than walk away.

And that's exactly what I did.

"Sweet nightmares, Sicklehorn," Greyfang called after me, slurring out my name before the cavern echoed off his dark, sinister cackle.

Just as a cold, angry tear rolled down my snout.

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I should've known that it'd be even worse at night.

I couldn't find the courage to sleep; the fear of the past still haunted me long after the moon drifted over the stars. With all those disturbing memories now fused to my brain, I was left to ponder the past, instead of ignoring it. I sighed, thumping my tail to the floor, wishing away the dust and the sands just to rest my eyes.