Cult of the Lamb

Chapter one.

Lambs, creatures of soft wool and delicate figures that honored dancing and singing. Joined together with but little worry for whatever the future had for the species.
Lambs, kind creatures described only as pacifists, with confident egos and unique culture, no one saw the lambs as threats. Lambs were but a herd, a quiet one at that. They did not stand out amongst the other species, they were normal, but did not have average blood shed. They were pacifists, others would say with confidence, true to their answer. Lambs could never genocide, as prey cannot commit the acts of a predator, or so be it. With wool as white as the clouds, and hooves as sharp as polished rocks, beautiful creatures they were before the slaughter.
"The slaughter." Is what they called it, marking the beginning of a new era where the Lambs ceased to exist, culture erased and villages turned into nothing but a wasted land full of the dead and scent of blood in the air, haunting anyone that dares to walk into the ruins. If only revenge could be given, is the question all asks as they turn to the ones that caused this mass chaos and destruction, all for one prophecy.
And so it begins, The last lamb, a sheepish lamb who loved adventure and enjoyed their culture, who played in the dandelion fields without fear for what fate held. But now they could no longer ignore the ongoing manslaughter, because they would be the last of it and there was nothing they could do.
"Move it." A cultist dined in a black and red cloak, masking their identity and species pushed at the dirtied lamb settled into cuffs roughly onto the rock path leading to a menacing platform where their death would be carried out. The cultist seemed angry, hands clenched and annoyed at the persistence on the stubborn lamb who refused to budge, yet soon gave up after a few rough tugs and some stumbles.
The lamb, the last of them all. Adorned in nothing but the battered clothes that can only be described as peasently, bruises and signs of struggle visible on their mattered body and stained white fur littered with dust particles, despite their hesitance, they stepped forward, walking slowly amongst the stone path with their head down, they did not wish to meet the eyes of the eager awaiting cultists, eager to see their demise. It was silent, amongst the few whispers passed by as the lamb makes itself to the podium. The cultist from before forcing them to get down on their knees, shackles clanking as they kept their head down in utter defeat and humiliation.
The podium was uncomfortable and stained with the blood of the past sacrifices, the haunted screams of the past victims echoed in the chamber  felt like a illusion, it sent a shiver down the Lambs spine, they awaited their death as their eyes shut closed, for they did not listen as the Bishops that stood proudly before them boasted, loudly announcing their victory as the Lambs eyes shut, awaiting their destined fate, but unknowingly to them, death was not satisfied with the lamb just yet.
As the bishops uttered their words, coming to a end, the lamb remained still and did not utter a word as it waited for its demise, and as the one besides them raised their shiny axe stained with the blood of their past victims, did it come down in a great heavy slash, promptly removing their head. As all faded, the lamb opened its eyes. But it did not meet the afterlife, no, it met death, itself. It's head raised slowly, looking up and around before promptly turning to ahead of it and spotting the three shadowy figures in the pearly white void that seemed to forever extend,
The figure in the middle, the tallest one of them all who seemed to be littered with chains that keeper them in place but spared them slight movement, the lamb swore it heard a voice calling to it from the pearly white void, the middle one uttering words to the lamb, it's voice of a powerful god littered with smugness and authority. What was this being? And what does it require from the lamb? Is the questions the lamb wished to ask, but it remained silent and listened in as the shadowy figure beckoned to them with a finger.
"Come closer, lamb." The voice muttered, hollow as if one with the void. A voice so divine yet so menacing that the lamb could not decide if it loved the voice or hated it with its bitter end, but denying it's better judgement, the lamb decided to listen. It's figure stood up, walking slowly to the figure as it's body weirdly ached, once filled with pain now was replaced with a smooth sensation that riddled within their body, providing a feeling of comfort and security, despite their upcurrent situation. Their steps were small and silent, a liquidly puddle forming under each step and letting out a soft noise only to dissapear the moment the lamb took its hoove off of it.
It was scared, yes, but also intrigued. What was this being and what did it require of the lamb? That could all be answered later, until this all sorted out, of course, the foggy figures seemed to grow more coherent each step the lamb took until they reached the figures.
In front of the lamb, in the middle. Stood a figure adorned with chains promptly preventing it from escaping its current captivity in its white filled hell. Three red eyes, sharp and narrow with authority and dominance clear its eyes pierced into the Lambs soul, staring down with could only be described as excitement in a sadistic volume, with fluffy black fur and pointed black ears bigger than average that pointed up, and resting between the two ears lied apon a familiar crown that seemed to calm to them, with a red eye of its own adorned in black polished, it was corrupted looking, but not, at the same time. Staring at it was frightening, it seemed to stare back, no, it didn't act like a Inanimate object once. The lamb flinched as it's eye moved, turning to stare apon their neck where the axe had pro,play slashed.
To the left of the figure was a smaller black cat with a scar going across its left eye and a staff, their eyes remained closed, well trained and waiting. Slight fear coursed through the lamb as they stared at the figure, then turning to the figure on the left, with similar styled but no scar, what could be possibly described as their twin, yet they had different aesthetics. They did not mutter a word or spare a glance, still and calm, not at all bothered by their presences as they seemed quite chill, as if this was the norm for them. The Lambs eyes snapped back to the middle as the figure spoke once again.
"Fear not, for I have brought you back from the dead." It spoke, it's voice a low hum that sent uneasy vibes to the lamb as they were stared down by the cat much taller than them, they chained their neck to look at the taller black cat, confusion coursing through them as they wondered why they were brought back. "Those foolish bishops thought they could keep you from me, instead, they brought you right to me." The being laughed a amused laugh, yet it was filled with such coldness and menacing accents that it terrified the poor lamb to its core, despite the initial determination, the lamb could not help but silently cry in fear, they knew they would get stronger. But for now, they wished to cry, for any normal person would cry in this situation.
"Now, now, do not cry my new vessel, for I shall grant you eternal power In return for a simple demand." It continued, the lamb stopped crying for a moment to give a glare to the being, offended at being called a vessel. But still, the offer sounded very tempting. The lamb looked ahead and gave a steady nod, waiting eagerly to hear it's proposal. "All I ask is that you start a cult in my name, and kill my cursed siblings so I may be set free. Do we have a deal?"
"Yes." The lamb replied confidently, raising its head to stare at the being. That determination faded into surprise quickly as without warning the red crown on the beings head seemed to lift up and dart down to them, promptly sitting on their head. In a flurry of panic, the lamb tried to get it off, trying to pick it off and throw it away, but it's attempts did not work, the crown looked down at the lamb with a annoyed expression before giving a satisfied look when the lamb stopped its terrified squirming.
"Very well, go." It spoke, and before the lamb could attempt to muster up a reply. A portal opened up beneath it, a black, goopy portal that sucked them in without warning. The lamb called a plea for it to stop, surprised when it obeyed their screech as the portal beneath them closed within a blink of the eye, sighing in relief as they put their hands to their knees and lean a little.
"Uh, can I like, get your name?" The lamb purred, trying to sound confident with a hint of seduction in their voice as they looked up at the menacing figure that stood before them. They winked at the being, tilting their head slightly and coming up with name ideas in their head as they waited for the god to reply to their plea sounding request with confidence that they would answer.
"No." It replied promptly, a hint of amusement in its voice as it chuckled darkly. The lamb let out a frustrated sigh, before a mischievous look came across their face, the lamb had a idea, a rather chaotic idea, this could get them killed by the god but the lamb did not care currently, it wished to enjoy the figure into telling their name, hopefully, hopefully this wouldn't backfire even if the lamb knew deep down it indeed would defiently backfire for the poor little lamb who's just trying to get their new friends name, well, master.
"Fine, then. I'll refer to you as master." The lamb lowered its voice, raising a eyebrow and winking as it made the word master suggestive with a very heavy seductive ring to it, the attitude in the lamb changing from s frightened lamb to a bold one as it became accustomed to its new master, the lamb wondered how it would react to that, but sadly, they did not get the reply that they wish they were given, instead they were given a stern yet cold glare of a frustrated cat about to kill the poor lamb if if dares make another move, but slight blush dusted the cats cheek which caused the Lambs eyes to light up in anticipation after noticing the blush, hoping that would mean they can get even more of a reaction out of the other. The two guards on either side of the cat seemed to not react, but the lamb could swear it heard the non scarred one on the right let out a small, barely noticeable snicker before quickly covering it up as a cough. The lamb looked back at its new master, waiting eagerly for its reaction to its new found nickname, the lamb always loved to annoy people and make them flustered, this might become one of their hobbies.
"Yes, call me master, I guess. Just not in that tone, foolish lamb." It grumbled, it's tone of voice slightly lowered as it looked away to avoid eye contact as it visibly continued to get more and more passed off at the continued advances the lamb was obviously trying to make as the lambs new master was obviously trying to fluster the poor black cat, the lamb let out a cheerful you noise happy for a reasoning to annoy them. The lamb politely thanked them before letting out a screech as a portal opened beneath them again and sent them straight to where they were killed to fulfill what they were meant to do. The lamb obviously didn't like the portal, giving their new master a harsh glare before they were completely swallowed by the portal underneath them, the black goopy surface of it fading into nothing afterwards, leaving no trace of the Lambs presence anywhere in the empty white void.
The lamb finally opened their eyes after a few seconds, observing their surroundings and recognizing it as the area where they were just recently sacrificed, the bishops were no where to be seen and it was dark and quiet, the only sound being visible were the sounds of crickets. Tall stone podiums stood around them eerily, being much larger then the lamb. The lamb squeaked as it suddenly was raised into the air slightly, the bonds holding their hands snapping within seconds and clattering to the ground in a loud thump. As they settled back down onto the ground, they looked around nervously before spotting two bewildered looking cultist adorned in cloaks settled infront of them, silently staring at the lamb with astonishment at their resurrection. Without a second to spare, the two cultists seemed to reach for their cloaks and brandished something in their hands. A metal object polished and sharp that fit comfortably in the palms of the cultists with high class black leather as the handle, the night was completely silent, as if watching this.
The lamb stared at what they recognized as small daggers, fear coursee through them but they did not flee, no, instead they forced themselves to get up despite the aching pain in their limbs, the lamb wished to run, wished to cry, but it could not, for now, it must deal with the two cultists infront of them, which stood in a fighting posistion. The lamb looked down, noting the blood that splattered and stained the platform, their blood, sending a feeling of rage coursing through their veins as they stood where countless lives have been killed. Looking up once again, the lamb reached their hand out unconsciously, as if waiting for a weapon to appear in their hand, the lamb was confused on why they did this, but it felt right.
The lamb jolts back with a surprised look as the crown that settled on their head seemed to raise into the air and shift into what could only be described as a small dagger with a red eye settled comfortably on the handle of the weirdly shaped dagger, its metal was bended and curled for some reason, but still looked perfectly sharp and looked ad if it could maximize damage. The lamb suck in a breath as they twirled the dagger in their hands, before turning to the two infront of them and brandishing the dagger with newfound determination.
The two cutlists exchanged glances, confused and slightly scared before nodding to eachother, the one of the right quickly fleed, off to search for the bishops to inform them of the lambs reassurection. But the lamb did not care in this moment, no, the lamb simply wished to have revenge on the ones that wronged them, and the cultist that remained, would be the first victim of the lambs wrath.
Everything went by in a blurr, the lamb did not spare a thought of what horrors they were currently committing as they raised the dagger after settling infrong of the frozen cultist who was glued to their spot out of pure fear, dagger raised, the lamb plunges it into the heart of the now heretic, who choked out a bit of blood and struggling weakly in a sastifying attempt of survival, but nonetheless, the heretics struggles remained in vain, as they choke up blood and struggle to escape, they slowly lose their composure, going weaker within every second. The lamb watches, hands bloody with the splattered blood of the soon to be dead heretic, the dagger digged into their flesh, and with a final gurgle, the heretic went still. The lamb took the dagger out, gagging at the brutal sight of blood as the heretic collapsed to the feet of the lamb, motionless. Apart of the lamb felt bad for the heretic, but they shook it off, the heretic deserved it.
The Lambs eyes examine the area, before turning behind them where the path they once walked to meet death laid, the lamb hated it, not wanting to walk it again, but there seemed to be no other exit, that is, unless, of course, you count the half stone wall separating the court from the bishops standing place, but the lamb did not wish to climb it, it would take too long and they had already wasted enough time here trying to get their act togather, so they forced themselves to step forward, each step seemed to ring out, reminding them of the brutality of their death, and how many of their kind had walked to their death like this before them. They quickened their pace, lungs tightening as they felt tears brim in their eyes, eyes darting each and every way as if expecting to be jumped. They did not feel safe, their instincts screamed at them to run, their lungs continued to tighten harshly, causing a flurry of panic as they felt a wave of panic crash into them, their footsteps grew more hurried once again, clenching the dagger in their hand for reassurement as they wished and prayed that this would all end and that it was just a bad dream, but deep down, the lamb knew none of this was a bad dream, this was reality, and they would now have to face it whether they liked it or not.
They panicked more and more every second, swearing they heard whispers of voices laughing at their dismay, finally, after what seems like minutes, but ended up just being a couple seconds, the lamb had made its way to the end of the path, being met with a clearing. They sighed in relief, but that relief was sagged as they noticed the three cultists humming and cleaning up some sort of mess, without hesitation, the lamb took this the calmness of the three to their advantage, lunging at the first one with a menacing look in their eyes, pinning them to the ground before bringing down their dagger in a slash, opening their stomach.
The other two turned to look at the lamb in bewilderment, immedeitly they dropped their brooms and attempted to escape the cruel fate that the lamb had for them, but this time, the lamb spared them. As they got up from the now dead cultist, they watched as the other scurried off in a flurry of panic. They glanced at the dead body as the two dissaepared, slightly grimacing at the damage and showcase of organs, gagging once again. They tried to turn their attention away from that, turning to the next path which just so happened to be blocked with some rocks. The lamb groaned and went up to the rocks, stepping over them since they weren't too large, lucky for them. They began walking the path, observing the trees and eerily silence, they felt vulnerable, emberassingly covering their neck as their neck felt too visible right now, hand on their neck to get that weird tingling sensation away from their neck, the vulnerability practically screaming in their ears as they sighed and continued moving.
The eye of the dagger blinked at them with sastification, the lamb paused and looked down at the dagger, casting the red eye a confused look. They were confused, was the dagger alive? And if so, why didn't it communicate with them? They came to the conclusion that it was a conscious object, cringing as they remembered plunging it onto the cultists, feeling bad for the object. "Can you hear me?" They asked in a whisper to the dagger, but of course, they were given no response, just a blink. The lamb sighed again at this, taking its time to figure something out to be used as communication, if it could shapeshift, then surely it can turn into a pen and write for itself since it could move around. But currently, the lamb did not have access to any paper. So instead, they decided to try something else.
"Blink twice if you can hear me." The lamb declared with a slight smile, staring with determination at the dagger, apart of them wondered if this was a hallucination, the dagger, and if they were going insane by imagining it could move and blink like a living, conscious being. To their suprise, the dagger seemed to blink twice, the smile on the lamb grew brighter at this. Finally, atleast they had some sort of friend with them now instead of the emptiness. Sighing, the lamb turns to infront of them, feeling the familiar tightening of their lungs as slight panic settled in, not wanting to continue and having a bad feeling about all of this, but nonetheless, they continued. They looked around nervously as they step foot into the next clearing, sighing as their tensed posture faded into a relaxed one, a false sense of security replacing their doubt and suspicion of this area almost completely. Looking around the place for good measure to reassure themself that this place was safe for the meanwhile, the lamb ignored the blood staining the clearing as if a fight had occurred.
The lamb had made a mistake when letting their gaurd down, squealing as something from behind seemed to lunge at them with malicious intent, panic began to settle in, breathing heavily as a purple bat creature slammed into them, knocking them back a few feet. Their lungs tightened, feeling as if a hole was in their chest along with a horrible feeling of dread settling in as they ready themselves into a fighting posistion, readying themselves, their eyes dart across the clearing, searching for any other creatures that might attempt to ambush them before turning back to the purple bat, which flung themselves at them. The lamb squeaked, having no idea what the creature was, while dodging the creature, they stare at it, bewildered.
The purple bat showed little to no emotion, seemingly focused on trying to kill the lamb, malicious intent visible in its eyes as it rammed itself into the lamb again, catching them by suprise. The lamb stumbled back again, their panic only grew within in each second, their instincts screaming at them to abandon their current mission of leaving this place and to instead just run back to where they were before and wait to be killed again, because atleast that would be a little less frightening. Clenching their dagger, the lamb raced at the creature, aiming the dagger at their throat and succesfuly slitting it. The creature was now dead, laying in a limp posistion at their feet with blood spilling from it.
They sighed in relief from finally defeating the creature, the panic slowly leaving. But they were not done, turning to look at the bushes behind them, they notice two more creatures, caterpillar worm like creatures that were quite massive, the lambs breath hitched, panic coming back in a quick flurry as they let their panic take over, without thinking, immedietly running off to the next clearing, set on survival. They did not want to face the creatures, no, for they were too scared too, the poor lamb just wished to rest, but they could not in this moment of despair, dread, fear and hope. The lamb ran as fast as they could, ignoring how their lungs felt like they were burning from trying to catch their breath, they did not care, just as long as they managed to get away from that creature, they would be fine. After a while, the lamb stopped abruptly after coming face to face with another person, the lamb did not know if this person was with the Old faith or not, as it could not tell, but the being did not bear the Old faith cloak, settling a small bit of hope in their heart.
The being was a old rat of brown color and slightly trembling figure due to their old age, not that old, but also not that young. They bore a makeshift crown and seemed quite happy to see him, but the lamb did not return that happy look, on drive, they proceed to put their dagger up to the rats neck, breathing stiffled and heavy while trying to remain a good composure, their posture slanted as they stared at the rat who did not seem to react to having a knife pointed at their neck, infact, they seemed quite calm despite the knife. Slowly but surely, the rat put their hand on the lambs hand bearing the dagger, their grip was tight, but gentle at the same time, a fatherly grip as one might say, the fatherly grip caused the lamb to snap out of their drive, no longer panicked as they snap out of their panicked state. They stared down the rat in confusion as the rat slowly made them lower their dagger, slowly and calmy, a smile on their face, a calm, nice smile that sent shivers of warmth into the lambs heart, their wariness of the rat slowly evaporating.
The dagger seemed to stare down the rat, before becoming lively again and morphing back into the crown, rising into the air and finding its spot comfortably on the lambs head. The lamb now trusted the rat, for if the Crown trusted them enough to cease their form as a weapon, then they must be trusted, right? The rat chuckled at the lambs obvious look of confusion, before speaking in a soft, gentle tone that soothed them even more. "Now, now. Calm down." The rat spoke while chuckling, amused at their confusion as they tilted their head, staring at the rat as they gently took their hand away from the rats.
"Who are you?" The lamb asked, wishing to know the rats name and why excactly they were here, the rat gave a soft smile that could only be described as trusting as the rat also takes their hands away, eyes fixated on them. The two had a staring contest for a few seconds as the lamb awaits a reply from the being, as the being once again barks a laugh.
"He did not tell you?" The rat asked with extreme amusement in his voice, causing a flurry of confusion to wave down in their entire body, the lamb did not know what they spoke of, who was 'He'. And why should the lamb know who 'He' is? The lamb slowly shook their head no, recalling nothing of someone being mentioned at all during their time of ressurection and during their time of death, the two stared at eachotehr for a while as the rat calmed down from its barks of laguther, the trees rustling and sounds of animals scurrying in the midnight bringing a sense of peace to the lamb as the two continued to stare at eachothef for a couple more seconds.
"I am Ratau, former vessel of The One Who Waits." The rat- Ratatu, or so it said- spoke calmly, yet a hint of pride was showcased in their tone, obviously proud of their title despite being the former vessel. The lamb aas confused by this, was The One Who Waits the one that spoke to them? The lamb did not wish to ask, a little bit too emberassed to say so, but they guessed that they were indeed correct. "I was sent here to guide you, come, I will teach you." Ratau purred, giving him a narrowed look of eldery wisdom. The lamb took slight humor in this, remembering how back then, before the slaughter, they would watch shows and movies, and all the time, the main character would have a elderly person with extreme wisdom be their guide or in other words; master. But this was not their master, no, perhaps this was a disciple of their master? Yes, that made much for sense for the lamb, as Ratau began making their way to the next clearing, they quickly followed behind, not wanting to get lost and lose sight of them. They wished to ask Ratau questions, but decided it could wait till they were someplace actually safe.
As they stepped into the next clearing, the lamb was met with a pitiful sight, four cultist stood in a square posistion were doing a chant of something inaudible, their hands were raised, weapons at their side as in between laid a rectangle shaped rock that had a fox form of red and white color tied down to it, it squealed and squirmed, the sight was pitiful, and it sent courses of rage down the lambs spine. Ratau stepped aside, not uttering a word and already knowing what the lamb was about to do, watching calmly as they brutally tore apart the cultists. As this was done, the lamb stopped after all bodies laid motionless, scattered as the fox form watched in awe and slight fear. They did not know what to do now, slowly turning to Ratau; their supposed guider, for help. Ratau in response walked up to them, beginning a lecture of some sorts and informing them of indoctrination.
"You must start a cult in his name, yes? And what is a cult, without followers? Free this fox, and indoctrinate them into your cult." Ratau spoke with wisdom, obviously wise as they watched and waited for a response as the lamb gave them a dumbfounded look, as if to say 'How?'. The lamb rolled their eyes, receiving a stern glare of disappointment and scold from Ratau, causing them to grumble something inaudible before turning to the tied down fox, using their dagger to cut off the bonds before looking back at Ratau with a 'Now what?' Look, waiting for instructions.
Ratau approached them calmly, informing them of something. "Ask them to join, and if they refuse, well, do it forcefully." Ratau spoke, a hint of malice in their voice at the end, causing the lamb to flinch, not expecting such a kind fellow to be capable of such malice. Ratau seemed to take humor in the flinch, casting a playful smile as the lamb turned to the now untied fox form.
"Join my cult." The lamb announced indifferently to the fox, who slowly nodded with a confused look. Suddenly, a portal opened up beneath the fox, swallowing them as the fox screamed out in surprise. They go frozen, bewildered as they stared at the spot where the portal was, which had now closed, before slowly turning to Ratau in concern, looking like a toddler who just discovered that their toy can make noise, and turning to their parent for their reaction to see wsifher or not they should be terrified. But to their suprise, Ratau showed no emotion, no, not a single bit, instead, just smiled as if they were used to this.
"Good, that portal leads to your cult grounds." Ratau explained, announcing it without care as the lamb nodded, accepting the explanation before snapping their head towards them in shock "Im sorry, what? Cult grounds?" They ask in bewilderment, not expecting that there was an entire cult ground already, so that confirmed that there were indeed vessels before them. Ratau laughed at their shock, nodding. "Yes, but it is in ruins now, which is why followers are so important. They can rebuild it, all you have to do is keep their faith high, tell them some orders, and they'll be right off to it! That is, of course. You survive it." Ratau said, voice darkening at the end as the Lambs face morphed into horror. "What?" They asked gently as suddenly Ratau busted into another fit of pure laughter, doubling over as they laughed at the lambs horrified expression.
"Just a joke!" He announced, the lamb mumbling out a couple of curses under their breath for falling for such a dark joke, but true to that, they were now on edge, not like they weren't before. Ratau went back to their normal posistion, frowning at him and giving him another disappointed and scolding look as if he did something wrong. "No cursing while I'm around." He announced with a parental like voice, causing the lamb to whip their head towards them with their jaw dropped, the lamb was shocked, to be fair, as they did not expect to be scolded like a child by a stranger that claimed to be their guide, but instead of arguing, they nodded, their mouth closing as they huffed at being treated like some toddler incapable of doing basic tasks by themselves, that included being aloud to swear, even though it wasn't a task.
Ratau didn't seem to push it any farther, going silent and instead beginning to walk ahead of the lamb, assuming the lamb would follow them, which the lamb indeed did, they silently followed from behind while humiliated for being scolded after letting out a couple of swears, though they didn't dare to speak up about it as they walked along the calm forests without uttering a word to eachother, it as silent, not a word being shared luckily as they both wished for silence, they observed the trees, the lamb gaping at the many varieties of animals that would rush past them from now and then as they looked along nature, they continue to observe everything, taking in all the email and not sparing a glance at their new mentor  right now their new mentor was not the priority, instead, it was observing the peaceful nature that would seen be interrupted by fighting probaly. The lamb felt jealous, why did all of these animals and animal forms get to have a happy ending while they were stuck serving some ancient God with their whole species gone, no family left, the only family being their crown, which they now took the crown as family. And maybe, after they observe Ratau some more, Ratau could be apart of that family. They scoffed at that idea, he would probaly die soon of old age, which caused a sense of dread to arise in their stomach and chest at the thought of their only mention dying, fuck, were they already growing attached? It seemed they were, no biggie, they know that most likely, worst case scenario that the moment they get to the cult grounds, Ratatu would abandon them and leave them to fend for themselves.
It seemed as if the rat had grown attached too slightly, but they did not seem to deny it as much as the lamb was denying their attachment. Still, the silence between the two continued untill they had reached the end of the forest, being greeted by the blinding sun and birds tweeting and squeaking at them in annoying rhythms sometimes associated with music, most birds sounded like music, while others just sounded outright demonic. The lamb sighed as they look apon the ruins of what they assumed to be the cult grounds as they stop moving once they noticed how Ratau had also stopped, they observed the area silently, nature had overtaken the place, silence filled the air, minus the sounds of nature. It sent a chill down their spine, the thought that this was once probaly a very very lively area with boasting and music and noise and joy filled them with dread,
they were scared, to be honest they did not wish to do this, they wish that they would have just died, and remained dead like any other normal person does, remain dead. They still found it weird on how their neck did not have any visible scar on it or any aches nor sharp pain when their neck was moved despite having it literally chopped off, it was almost like it reconnected with their body, then a question arose in their mind; were they always destined for greatness, or was this only the beginning of their suffering? Were they chosen solely for the sick enjoyment of the gods, or did they actually stand a chance? Why was it them; all the lambs that came before them stood a brighter chance, so why, the most fragile one of them all, last. Was chosen?
Because those who do not want power, uphold power with great responsibility opposite to those with greed for it. Their mothers words murmured in the back of thisr mind, perhaps she was true. As they watched nature busy on, the silence was interrupted.
"Its quite peaceful, ain't it?" Ratau asked gently as they snapped the lamb out of their zoned out state, the lamb turned to them and nodded with a slight sad look on their face as they observed the peaceful area, wondering how much of a lively place it could have been before all the destruction, and what could've caused the destruction.
"Yes, is this the cult grounds?" The lamb asked with a soft voice, not wanting to speak up anymore as they forced themselves to talk, avoiding the others gaze out of emberassement for no reason other then finding their question dumb, they feared the other might seem them as dumb, but no, it was quite the opposite, but of course, they did not know that one bit.
"Yes." Ratau replied with a low hum, observing the ground and not bothering to give any explanation to what had happened to it, it seemed as if the rat did not wish to talk about it, judging by their one worded reply as awkward silence filled the area, even nature going slightly quiet in second hand emberassment, as if this was some comical movie featuring jokes and such, but no, it wasn't, this was real.
They would, of course, have to deal with the consequences of their own actions, also known as; none, since they did nothing besides from die. Not really fair for them, isn't it? Apart from them accepting the offer, they wondered what would have happened if they declined it, maybe they would be resting peacefully in the afterlife if so.
Perhaps peace was never a option.
Watching the lively yet dead area, the silence was finally broken. "But how will i do this?" The lambs voice was a shiver; carrying a soft whimper full of undeniable fear - being expected to be able to take care of a whole cult, while bearing the weight of their dead species was something the young lamb could not handle, realistically, the lamb wanted to crumble and cry, wail for what is not theirs anymore and give up. Their lips quivered, laws shaking as they glance around again what is theirs to take.
They were casted a small, comforting smile from the rat, who put a hand on the quivering lambs shoulder in a comforting manner, for they had once been in their place, and understood the fear one held when burden with such responsibility with no way out. The two held silence, as the circle from the right of the cult grounds flashed with symbols in a dazzling display of colors as a portal was summoned beneath it, the fox from before appearing on their knees, frightened and quivering weakly.
The lamb laid eyes on the fox, slightly scared. What has just happened? So many questions went unanswered. "That is one of your new cultists, go, indoctrinate them." Murmured the lambs mentor. Reluctantly, the lamb obeyed without a question, pushing away all moral which screamed at them that they were not fit for this, and should run while they can - but they could not turn back. They stepped up to the red and white fox, who had bluish accents around their body and green emerald eyes, they seemed to stare at the lamb, showing fear that the lamb could share; fear of death. The lamb hesitantly stepped up to them, standing up tall and showing a tough deemur, not letting the fear show through their expression, casted away with a cold expression replacing it. "Join my cult." They murmured quietly, knowing they should speak louder, but did not find the courage to talk loudly. The fox paused - seemingly noticing the equal fear that seemed to stir in the lambs eyes, silently growing relaxed knowing they they were not alone in their fear. The fox nodded eagerly hopeful for a new start in life which earned a smile from the lamb.
"Yes." The fox replied, voice soft as silk and newfound determination in the foxes eyes as they get up and wait for a order from their new order. "What is your name?" The lamb asked, patiently awaiting a response from the eager and excited fox of bluish accents as they lifted their head to meet the foxes eyes, which stared into theirs.
"You can call me Tesha." The fox replied - now known as Tesha. Tesha seemed eager and well fit for a job, soon ordered to do lumbering and given a axe, to trust someone new with a axe was a bold move but the lamb had a feeling they could trust them. They could build a new family, maybe, just maybe all hope wasn't lost and they might still have a chance at being happy.
Tesha left without a word, getting to work with chopping down the trees of the surrounding cult. Ratau came up to the lamb, praising them for their actions. "This is only the start." Ratau had said, causing the lamb to feel a hint of despair as killing four bishops sounded surreal and insane like, all along with dealing with a cult. All of this was too much to handle and it was only the beginning of it. Ratau seems to sense the tense posture from them, putting his hand on their shoulder, slowly rubbing it in a comforting manner as they began to go on about the next steps. "Now we need gold, to build things of course. Where do you think we could get gold?" The rat obviously knew the answer, but gave them a chance to get their mind off of their current situation by thinking. They stopped, and pondered for a moment. Ratau patiently waited for a answer as they pondered, before being given a optimistic, yet childish toned answer. Ratau felt sick at that, the thought of the young lamb being a mere child yet experiencing such horror was sickening, they should not have been this exposed to the cruelty of the world's at the age they were. But they could not undo the trauma that binded the lamb, it was now laced to their soul like a stitch to a wound; only time can heal it. "Mines and caves?" The lamb replied with a questioning tone, which in return was praised. It did not matter that they were forced into maturity at a young age, they can still be given the childhood that they missed ever so slightly by being treated like the age they were, praised and loved. Something the lamb could never had no more, stripped away from them after the slaughter had happened.
"Correct! But we can't go to mines and caves right now, what we can do is collect good from dead enemies." Ratau suggested, which earned a hum from the other, a form of agreement. The lamb thought that was a good idea, to be able to let their stress out on heretics while also gaining a profit was quite a good idea for the enraged lamb who was hungry for revenge, but also scared to commit the revenge.
Ratau smiled at them, which they smiled back as silence filled the area again as the lamb let out a deep sigh, they didn't really want to go back to the area where the heretics habit, but was there really a choice anymore? The lamb tried to pretend like they did have a choice, like they had freedom. But they knew deep down they were trapped until they fulfilled their duty. "Besides, you can gain more followers while doing so." Ratau added, trying to lighten the situation as they nodded, acknowledging the fact. "Yes, your right. Then I suppose so, should I head out now?" The lamb asked, voice slightly quivering but they refused to let it show.
"Yes." Ratau nodded, taking hidh and off of their shoulder as they nodded back, looking back at their crown who blinked once as if approving of their choice. Smiling slightly at the crown and latching on to any form of happiness that could get them away from reality even if it was for a second. They sighed and morphed the crown into a dagger, giving a wave off to Ratau before beginning to walk off, earning a little wave from Ratau who had a proud dad look. The lamb glanced at their first followed one last time before turning to the area ahead of them, where the four biomes rested. With a sigh they began to approach the first biome, Darkwood. Darkwood had always been their favourite, they used to love running around the forests and playing with their friends. The thoughts of burting their friends came to their mind, making them feel sick. "Ugh." The lamb muttered before touching the Darkwood biome door, squeaking when out of no where Tesha appeared by the statue in the middle, doing some sort of prayer stance before dissapearing back into the portal that brought them here. The lamb stood there, stunned as Tesha dissapeared. They turned back to the door, taking a step back as it began to open. Their mouth was agape as this happened, the area around them rumbling. Their breath hitched as it finally stopped, hesitantly, they stepped forward into the area, feeling themself relax at the familiar areas, decent and happy memories flooding their brain, replaced by feelings of jealously, sorrow, longing and resentment ad they knew they would never experience those memories ever again.
They tightened their grip on their dagger, looking around nervously and stepping forward and began walking down a path, encountering a purple bat which they quickly slain. They were getting good at this, optimistic thoughts flooded their head as they managed to distract themself from the current situation and grabbed the coin from the now dead purple bat. They were extremely happy and proud at themselves for being able to achieve killing the animal, and being able to retrieve some gold.
They stepped forward and made their way down the path, killing all sorts of creatures along their way and collecting gold, but not before have were stopped in their paths by a portal. The area surrounding them shaked, and their head began to ache as they were suddenly lifted into the air and held by some invisible barrier that refused to let them go. They struggled, but it refused. A figure came out of the portal as despair filled the lamb, watching one of their murders ascend, the green worm with bandages covering them that icked with blood.
They seemed to stare at the lamb, despite the lack of eyes. The lamb stared awkwardly, slightly groaning in pain from the sharp headache as the figure finally spoke. "How could this be?!" It screeched in fury, not at all happy with the lambs survival as the lamb expected to be killed, surprised when it was not met with death.
"No matter, I musnt bother the others with your presence. Scatter now, lamb! Or face my wrath!" It spoke with fury seething in its voice as the lamb gulped, silently noting their threat and just happy they weren't dead yet. Then the green worm descended into the portal, and the lamb was dropped to the ground, letting out a soft oof noise as it sat up and then stood up, brushing off the dirt as the portal closed. They were confused, yes, but also terrified. What just happened, and would they get hurt because their presence was now known?
That could all be answered later, the lamb reassured themselves before hesitantly continuing on their path, observing the thick forests and the creatures they come across, soon enough, it had reached afternoon and most creatures have been slain. The lamb had collected enough gold now and made their way through a stone portal back to their cult, stepping into it and appearing back at the cult groans where Tasha and Ratau waited for their arrival.
Finally, the portal closed and they stepped on the cold ground, walking down the old ancient ground towards Ratau and Tasha, sending them a wave and a small smile mixed with tiredness. "Im back." They announced, tired yet proud as Ratau smiles and proceeds to walk up to them. "Great, now, let us build a shrine." Ratau said, wisdom in their words as they nodded in response before looking around for materials to build it.
Ratau watched the lamb scurry around, observing the world within the cult grounds for resources before promptly turning to Tasha. "Can you help build the shrine?" The lamb had asked Tasha with a soft voice, worried of rejection. But Tasha simply paused her task and turned to them, giving them a gentle nod and stretching before dropping their axe. Tasha presented them with some wood they had collected, piled in a neat, organized pile at the corner of the cult grounds, using her hands to point at the wood with a proud expression. "Look!" She announced, in which the lamb followed her gaze and let out a happy squeal.
"You did it!" The lamb said happily, not expecting such large amounts. They went up to Tasha, giving them a pat on the back awkwardly with a soft smile before turning back to Ratau. "How long will it take to build?" They asked curiously, yet dreadfully. The lamb did not wish to build it, but they knew they had too.
Ratau hummed at them, before taking  a second to think about it. "It will take about a day." Ratau acknowledged, gesturing to the empty area in the direct middle of the cult grounds, where the shrine would rest once completed. The lamb sighed, dreading the work but nodding whatsoever. "Lets get to work, I guess." They grumbled, turning back to Tasha and communicating silently with their eyes, nodding at them and earning a nod back before they both got to work.
As Ratau had said, it would take a day. About time the two were done building the shrine, the sun had already set and the moon had just came out, nighttime had started. Tired, the lamb collapsed at the foot of the shrine, exhaling a groan from their hard work. "Finally.." They exclaim, Tasha collapsing besides them and giving them a encouraging yet tired smile.
"That took quite awhile." Tasha murmured, looking at the stars which the lamb nodded weakly to. They felt weird, tired with their body aching, but they did not feel the urge to sleep, just to rest for a moment. It was as if their body did not require sleep, maybe it was because of the crown? The lamb dismissed it, getting up and stretching. The longer they rested, the longer it would take to fulfill their masters wishes.
"Im going back to Darkwood." They announced, which Tasha shot a curious yet confused look too. "At this time?" Asked Tasha, unaware of their newfound ability to somewhat not require sleep. The lamb nodded at them, turning to the shadows that led to the four domes.
What was they required to do, again? Ah, that's right. They must show strength and menace in the eyes of their cultists to ensure obedience and submission. That couldn't be so hard, could it? "I am the lamb. I do not require sleep." They announced, confident as Tasha viewed them with sparkles in her eyes, obviously intrigued by this detail and nodding slowly. "Woah.." she dragged out.
The lamb didn't glance at her, turning to the shadows and beginning to walk off.
"Wait," Tasha said with hesitation, reaching out to the lamb. "Dont you think it's a little bit too dark to go out right now?" Tasha's voice was full of concern for the unrestful lamb. "Do not fret, I am unlike you. Exhaustion does not affect me." The lamb repeated, their words careful as to not startle the worrying fox. They smiled hesitantly at Tasha, giving her a reassuring look. Tasha seemed to hesitate-- her figure stilling before nodding slowly, seeming to agree with the lambs words. "Very well," She sighed, lowering her head. "Just be okay, alright?" The lamb nodded in response, turning back to the shadows and eagerly walking towards it, confidence appearing in their figure, everything would be alright-- the lamb reassured themselves as they left the comforting grounds of their cult, turning to the four doors in front of them, each bearing the markings of one individual bishop.
Soon, the lamb reassured themselves, soon they would get revenge. But for now they must wait patiently. The lamb sighed, it has felt like years to them-- yet it has only been a day, how long will this take? They pondered with dread while they gaze apon the stone doors before heading to Darkwoods.
--
The sun had set, darkness overtook the area, stars bright in the sky with no worry in sight. Crickets chirped like always, having no idea what was going on in the real world. It was quiet, too quiet. The lamb had been gone for two hours atleast, and Tasha was beginning to worry. Yes-- she knew the lamb could handle themselves, but with the time length, could they possibly be injured? Tasha sat against a tree, watching the stars impatiently, she was restless, worried, and terrified. Finally, a noise caught the foxes attention. The worn out stone platform in which she had come from after being rescued, seemed to let out a low hum as it began to glow a every red. The stone platform seemed to open up, black light shining through and syncing with the red. Tashas head perked as she was met with the sight of what she could only guess to be a new cultist. It was a yellow cat, with fluffy fur and orange lines across their face. They were quite intriguing. The yellow cat bore leshys mark-- obviously a now ex-cultist of Leshy, the cat seemed afraid, tail flickering as they observed the ruined grounds before turning to the fox, the cat jumped. Tasha got ready to speak to them, getting up and approaching the scared tom, "No need for that," A voice came from behind her, in which the lamb stood there with scratches boring their body and their white pelt being turned to a grayish tone. Despite their appearance, they seemed to be in a dandy mood. "Meet Max," The lamb would point toward the yellow cat, "Max, this is Tasha." Tasha waved slowly to the tom, giving them a bright smile after confirming that they were peaceful. The lamb stood back, hands on hips as they beckon for the two to engage, after all, what use would their cultists be if they could not get along with eachother? The two seemed to get along well, quick to chat with eachother as the lamb stared proudly. Max stepped off the platform, immediately, the light returned. "Oh, forgot about that." Dismissed the lamb with a awkward chuckle as yet another victim appeared kneeling apon the stone surface.
Their cult was growing at a significant rate, the lamb prided in themselves. It wouldn't be long before the lamb could face Leshy.
And so, the cult grew.
--
The portal closed, a smile spreading on the large cats face. Just as he had planned, for once, everything was going accordingly.
Admittedly, he was proud of the lamb he had chosen. This one was cowardly, but still held a chance. It wouldn't be long before he would he able to leave this retched place. Oh, how much he longed for revenge against his siblings, the white void had driven him insane, at some points-- he swore he felt guilt for his actions against his siblings he used to love so dearly. But he was convinced that guilt was simply a part of his insanity. Gosh, how much he missed the land. How much he missed the screams of those that defied him, freedom was just out of his reach. It was almost as if he could feel the chains loosening their grip on him.
It wouldn't be long, no, it wouldn't be long at all.
The lamb was strange in his eyes, so cowardly yet confident-- so exhausted yet so flirty. The words the lamb dared to say to the bishop was quite a shocker to the cat. Who dare? Back in his reign, the lamb would have been laying dead at his feet for muttering such profound, vile words towards the mighty bishop. They were annoying, yes, their constant flirting at the sight of the cat was ever so bothersome. He would make sure to get rid of the lamb the moment he could.
But apart of him, deep inside, felt off about his choice. His chest felt heavy, as if heavy rocks had been placed apon it whenever the lamb came into his mind, what was this feeling?
Nevertheless, was he feeling remorse for the poor lamb, for the suffering the lamb had to deal with? No, he wasn't. Why would he care so much about a insignificant creature? They would die at the hands of him anyways, he had no reason to care about the lamb, no reason at all.
Yet he did.
Scum. Had the mortals tactics taken a toll on the bishop? He had weakened in terms of emotions significantly-- how could he allow this? It was disgusting, vile, and weird. The mortals were rubbing off of him, rubbing off of him way too much. Truly, the lamb had indeed suffered a sad fate, but they were chosen way before the slaughter, He always had his eyes out on the lamb.
"When I die, please, plant flowers apon my grave, so when it sprouts, you can hold me one final time."
He remembered the lambs words, how weak and pathetic to ask of flowers apon their death.
They never even got a grave.
The lamb was quite a poetic one, is what he would admit, as sad as their poetry was, he felt no remorse, no guilt, nothing.
He shouldn't, he was a bishop, not a emotional domesticated excuse of a cat. Did the lamb even have a name? He questioned, sitting apon the white void silently, lost in his own thoughts. Perhaps, at one point they did. But that was history now, their name is 'the lamb'. It was not like the mortal was deserving of a title, let along a name. Besides, the lamb was quite suiting, it felt like a name of prayer, it would go just nice in the tongues of their victims. He could picture it so perfectly, 'Its the lamb!' The screams, the terror. Oh, how much he longed to hear it again. Maybe one day, for now, his focus must remain on the lamb-- he reminded himself, sighing. Was he really going insane? Perhaps he was, servant after servant after servant, the lamb had been the one to get the farthest out of all the others. All he had to do now is wait.
--
OMG 10000 WORDS
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