Daybreak Drabbles

Ceiji: Cursed One

Cole groaned and tried to get up. His body hurt, like usual. Such is the life of the cursed one. 

He was a cursed child, born a monster and damned to a life of plague. 

He was a peculiar monster. Brown, feathery wings folded back to passive position on his face. He blinked his sharp, emerald eyes and looked down at his blue, scaly arms. For a long time he wondered what he was, and why he was born this way. No one had the answer to it. 

The only person who stuck around him was an old friend of his, Eiji. He was a young, aspiring boy when they were little. Eventually, he grew up to become a masked healer, travelling across towns to heal the sick and injured. 

When his friend left for his new task, Eiji asked his older brother, Jun, to care for the sick Cole. 

Speaking of which, was Jun in the house today?

He and Jun were on decent terms, but Jun wasn't much of a talker, and he himself was a nervous man, so they barely talked to each other. 

A polite knock on the door answered his question. 

"I brought you breakfast." the man in question walked over to the side of the bed. 

"Thank you." Cole looked at what was on the tray. It was some sort of porridge, or was it oatmeal? He couldn't tell. It did have sliced apples and nuts on top, which would make it tasty. 

"How are you today?" Cole blinked and looked down at the man kneeling by his bed. When Jun talked, he was very soft. Cole didn't know if it was because he was nervous or he just didn't want to scare Cole. 

"My body aches, like usual." the cursed one sighed guiltily. He always felt like a burden to Jun and Eiji, since because of his illness he needed someone to take care of him. 

"Do you want me to give you a massage? Or shall I find a healer?" 

Cole shook his head. "It should go away soon." Only to flare up again in painful bouts later. 

Jun stood up. "Just ring the bell when you have finished eating." 

Cole nodded a little bit and accepted the bowl from Jun. 

He ate a scoop of breakfast and watched the quiet man walk downstairs. Turns out it was buckwheat porridge. 

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Cole coughed roughly into a handkerchief, not enjoying this one bit. He looked at the green gooey blood and moist feathers on the handkerchief. "Oh..." he sighed, defeated. 

A polite knock on the door caught his attention. 

Cole looked at Jun once more, wondering what he was doing at this time. 

"Jun? It's not lunch time yet- Did you want to bring me outside?" Jun rarely intruded the quiet space unless it was for Cole's care. This included bringing him meals, bathing him, helping him with the aches and pain flares, taking him outside for fresh air, and entertaining him. Usually Cole would ring a bell if he needed something. 

"Cole, my brother is coming back to town. Would you like to see him?" 

This piqued the monster's interest. His long, antelope-like horns scrapped the ceiling as he tried to sit up. "Yes, I would like to see him."

"Okay. I will write to him so he can pay you a visit." Jun nodded and went back downstairs. 

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