Oneshots, etc.

Weird Mildly Eldritch Supernatural Creatures AU

A/N: This is fairly short, but it's also something I'm pretty happy with, so enjoy the nonsense.
: )

"-And then Jakey said we shouldn't 'cause we'd get in trouble, but then we did, and it made this big boom!" Xylo explained, waving his arms to indicate the size of the explosion. The small wolf ears on his head were perked up, and his tail wagged with excitement as he described the adventures he and his friends had had that day.

Mario nodded his head, a look of interest on his face as he leaned forward on the tree stump he was seated on. One of his unnaturally long legs rested gracefully atop the other, and his glittering antlers brushed against the silvery-green canopy of leaves overhead as he listened intently to the young werewolf sitting in front of him.

"And did you get in trouble?" The fae asked, the amused smile on his face far too wide and sharp to ever be mistaken for human. Despite the sense of wrongness that radiated from his friend, Xylo smiled back with his own tiny fangs at the jaws that could rip him to shreds with barely a thought.

"Nuh-uh! Mitch said one of the kids from town did it! And 'cause he's old, Ms Marshie and Ms Kit believed him!" Xylo declared with glee, the oversized sleeves of his ragged, hand-me-down shirt flapping as he clapped his hands.

Mario raised an eyebrow at that. "Perhaps it is because Mitch does not nearly blow up the town square, or steal pastries, unlike a certain someone and his friends, hmm?"

"Nope! It's 'cause he's old," Xylo's voice dropped to a conspirational whisper as he spoke. "Also, also!" He shouted suddenly, twisting around and digging through the old leather satchel resting beside him on the moss-covered dirt. "I got you a thing!"

The seven-year-old proudly presented his gift; a grimy shard of shattered mirror that had broken off in the shape of a leaf, about the size of his palm.

Mario picked it up gingerly with his claws. It was tiny in his hands, a pinprick of light against the rough, ink-black material that stained and warped his fingers, but he held it with care - as though that single shard of mirror was a gift from the long-dead gods themselves.

He smiled - a rare, soft thing, unlike his usual twisted grin - and Xylo could have sworn he saw a hint of fondness in the faint glow of his blank white eyes.

"Thank you." Mario bowed his head, cupping the shard in his hands.

"I gotta go now, it's nearly dark," Xylo said, scrambling upright and hauling the satchel over his bony frame. "But I'll- I'll be back tomorrow! Or tomorrow-tomorrow! Or... Tomorrow-tomorrow-tomorrow! Soon!"

"Alright. Stay safe, Small One. May the branches be kind." Mario watched as Xylo waved to him, before the young boy sprinted away down the small path that lead into the clearing, making his way back to the orphanage.

The ancient creature sighed, a sound that rang like bells through the starbursts of flowers and the gnarled, curling trunks of the trees.

He lifted the shard of mirror to his face, gazing at his reflection. Gossamer strands of silk hung from his branching antlers, glimmering pieces of starlight clinging to each thread like a galaxy, the light reflecting against the silver whorls of the wood-like material. Dark, inky black stains ran down his face, dripping from his eyes like tears and sliding across the myriad of scars slashed through his body.

His rusted, broken chains rattled slightly against the pristine iron cuffs on his wrists as he leaned against the mossy bark of a nearby tree, and his too-tall-too-thin-too-sharp body sagged with the exhaustion of one held prisoner for millenia.

"You are becoming too attached to the boy, Thicket," His guardian hissed. The air rippled as wings unfurled and thousands of eyes opened. The Angel hovered before him in a blaze of nightmarish glory, eyes narrowed and glaring. "Do you not recall what happened last time?"

The wind picked up as Mario laughed, brushing through the wind chimes that dangled from every available branch, creating a cacophony of tinkling metal and glass. "I do not believe I am the one encouraging the forest to keep him safe."

The Angel scoffed. "I simply do not wish to deal with your moping for another century if he were to perish. It is awfully boring."

"Admit it - You are just as attached as I am, Bryan. It is far too late for either of us." The wind died down and silence fell over the clearing. Bryan scowled at Mario as best he could for a being made up of only eyes and wings, and the fae stared back, unblinking.

Finally, Bryan huffed and turned away in frustration. "You are the worst."

"I do believe that is why I am trapped in this circle, yes," Mario said dryly, spinning on the spot with his arms outstretched. His blue and gold robe flared with the movement as he gestured to the ring of mushrooms and scorched earth that surrounded him.

The two ancient beings stood in silence for a long time, as they often did. Night fell and the sun rose once more before Bryan decided to speak up.

"...What will we do once he is gone? It is inevitable that he will forget us. It is the very nature of our existence to be forgotten."

"I do not know," Mario sighed. "But we will simply have to continue." He looked up at the bright blue sky, as the sun shone down through the thick leaves overhead. "We do not have any other choice - we never do."

AU Notes:

- Jakey, Kay, and Mitch are all siblings. Kay and Jakey are twins, while Mitch is their exhausted older brother who really, really needs a break.
- Supernatural creatures with low magic such as werewolves, fairies or elves are fairly common, but more powerful beings such as angels, dragons and fae are thought to be practically extinct.
- Fairies and fae are two separate species but both fall into the same general category - the Fair Folk. It basically works like different species of cats.
- Xylo, Kay, Jakey and Mitch all live at an orphanage run by Kit, Marshie and Allumos in a small town located at the edge of an enormous forest.
- Bryan and Mario are often the only company either of them have, and don't interact with others very often. So they're not great at having normal conversations, even with each other.
- There was a pantheon of gods running around at one point, but they're all dead by now. Probably. I haven't thought that far ahead. So, they're mostly dead, but it's unclear if all of them are.
- David is some kind of weather spirit. Lucas, Ritchie and Brandon probably are, too.
- Mario got imprisoned because he became too powerful and did a bunch of stuff, so some currently-undecided group went 'nope' and stuck him in a forest with Bryan to guard him. Neither of them are happy about it, but by the time this oneshot happens it's been thousands of years.
- Xylo has no clue that he's befriended a supposedly-dead magical being. He just found Mario in the middle of the forest, went, "Slightly disturbing new friend! Yay!" and didn't question any of it.
- Thicket is Mario's true name in this - y'know, the whole thing about fae and names having power? Bryan technically has it so he can control him and keep him trapped if need be, but mostly he uses it the way a disappointed parent calls their child by their full name. Or to be irritating - one of those two things. Also, fun fact in case you didn't already know, a thicket is a dense group of bushes or trees.

Have a good day/night, I have nothing slightly ominous or weird to say at the moment, so you are free just this once.
: )