~Skephalo & Jefhalo - Oneshots, Drafts, and More~

~Beyond the Walls - 🔵🔴~

Idea/prompt: Just a short story inspired by the book Maze Runner, but a little different.

Tw: Mention of abandonment/loss of parents and mild description of grief

Type: A little bit of angst

A/N: (Unrelated) So, for those of you who weren't aware, this actually isn't my first book! If you like this content, you may also enjoy my other book, Once Upon a Skephalo. Check it out if you're a fan of Skephalo, fairytales, or both :)

Skeppy looked up at the city gate, his neck craning as he stared at the tall walls that encircled his home. They had stood for as long as anyone could remember, an ageless landmark that served as their protection... and their prison.

Skeppy hated the walls. He hated the way they blocked out the sun, reaching so far up that the whole city was cast in darkness. He hated the way they stood, immoveable, smooth, without a single foothold or handhold to make them scalable. The only living thing that could climb the walls was the thick moss and ivy that stretched its way a few dozens of feet up. They would never reach the top, though. They hadn't in a hundred years, and they wouldn't in a thousand.

He brought his attention back to the gate, standing ominously open, as it always did from 8 in the morning to 8 at night. No one knew how it opened, or how it closed, it was simply a matter of life that they had come to accept, just like the impossibly tall walls that surrounded them. No one questioned how these things existed or who built them, and no one really cared.

Long ago, before the city was a city, the first people who had arrived at this land questioned the walls. They wanted to know about the mysterious gate that always opened and closed like clockwork. They, like Skeppy, were hungry for answers. But as time passed, and more of them died or disappeared after adventuring outside the walls, the people gave up on answers. Safety became more important, and it was clear that they had everything they needed right inside the walls. Land, resources, trees, and food were all at their fingertips. So, they began to build.

Generations passed, populations grew, and the city slowly rose. Less and less people traveled outside the walls, and eventually, it was outlawed. Not that it really mattered, though. Anyone stupid enough to go outside would die anyways, so there was no point in locking anyone up for disobeying. And, for the most part, people did obey. Parents told their children tales of monsters that lay outside the city, and teachers were sure to teach the students about all the people who had ventured outside never to return. The people of the city grew disinterested in going outside the walls, and they were happy to stay right where they were.

Skeppy, however, was one of the people who didn't believe the stories. He was fascinated by the outside, and he craved answers that had so long ago been discarded for simple acceptance instead. He was sick and tired of the city, and he longed to go find some oasis past the walls where he could live without restraint. He wanted freedom. So, with a deep breath, he stepped forward. And again. Each step brought him closer to the outside. He had never been this close before, and it was exhilarating.

He lifted his foot to step forward again, when heavy footsteps pounded behind him and he was barreled to the ground, a heavy weight pressing his face into the dirt. There was a deep growl, and the weight over him shifted, allowing him to wheeze as he tried to recover the breath that had been knocked from his lungs. He was aware of something clamping over his ankle, enveloping his whole foot in its maw. It wasn't hard to identify the creature that had chomped down on his foot, as the large, furry beast growled and huffed as it began dragging him along the ground, backwards and away from the gates. Someone's dog had tackled him, and was now pulling him back into the city.