[13+] Taezan & the Mice [Kim Taehyung] Christmas 2022

December 3rd

Gasping, Taezan tried to catch his breath; groaning as he felt his head throbbing. His body was supported by something itchy - straw, he realized - and his body complained with every small movement he made.

Opening his eyes slightly, he let the bright light seep into his eyes a little at a time; blinking like mad to get them accustomed. What was going on? Where was he? This place smelled so... unfamiliar.

Finally able to open his eyes fully, he scanned the room. Thinking back to the many hours Zukook and he had spent looking at the pictures of human houses, he got more confused by each second that passed.

This looked right, but also so wrong.

He recognized so many things, but things that he had thought would be small compared to the humans, seemed huge. Turning over, he let out a yelp. His 'bed' was a big, yellow tin can - which looked to be a contraption built to drown fish in their own blood!

Taezan needed to get out of there!

Fighting with the fabric covering his legs, he tried to climb out, but as he moved, a sharp pain shot through him and left him nearly paralyzed.

Yelping, he fell back down in the fish grave - which would surely become his as well.

Unable to move, he laid still and looked up at the rough wood above him, the grains of them wider at some points; letting sap seep out. They looked like tears - as if this house of terror was crying at its own existence.

Letting out a sob, Taezan felt a tear of his own run down his cheek.

How had he ended up here? The last thing he remembered was falling to the ground, the green and brown colors eventually coming too close for comfort. It didn't seem like this place - and there was no hole in the ceiling, and if he had landed here, there would have been, right?

Besides, this contraption he was stuck in was sized too well for this to be a coincidence. No. There was no way it was all by chance. But then... What had happened? Who had brought him here? And why? They surely couldn't be friendly, seeing as they had a torture chamber like this, and-

* knock knock *

Jolting, he regained his body control, and quickly tugged the covers over him. Staying hidden, Taezan choked his sobs with a hand as he tried to stay quiet while letting his eyes scan the room through the thin piece of fabric.

The knocking sounded again, but this time, it was followed by a part of the wall moving to the side.

Watching in horror, Taezan saw a shadow moving, getting closer; the silent footsteps approaching him.

They knew! They knew he was there, and now they were coming for him!

Taezan didn't want to die. He was too young, and he had yet to become a tool master and to see the pretty lights.

Whatever had entered the room, was now standing over him; breathing steadily.

Squeezing his eyes shut, he was ready to be attacked, when a realization hit him: if they were there to hurt him, they wouldn't have entered so carefully, would they? And they wouldn't have taken care not to wake him?

Taking a deep breath, he slowly pulled the cover aside, and peeked up at the creature standing above him.

EARS!

That was the first thing he noticed. Big, and gray, and. He wanted to reach out to touch them, but at the last moment, he grabbed his own hand.

No. No touching, he remembered. One could never know what effect touching could have.

And so, instead, he let his eyes glide over the strange creature, taking in the colorful fabrics wrapped around the furry body.

"Oh, you're awake."

IT SPOKE!

Eyes wide, Taezan wasn't sure how he understood what it was saying. He hadn't taken any of the language courses yet, so the only language he knew was his mother tongue, and this was not it. Could he have the same powers as Namzoom? The ability to speak any language?

"How are you feeling?" The creature cocked her head to the side as it looked down at him with big, curious eyes. They looked like beads, like something out of the night.

"Wha...What are you?"

"I'm Kaya." The pink snout wiggled. "And you?"

"I'm Taezan." He answered automatically, only after realizing he was giving out possible sensitive information to this strange species. Swallowing, he drew his breath, and looked it over again. "But what are you?"