ORIGIN

Envy gave the pigeon an odd look as they let out their strange little squawk of excitement- the response to their offering of grass. something so simple, but apparently, effective. They grinned. It seemed like this whole... looking like a good leader, thing was gonna be even easier than they'd thought. They paused once again to wait for the little bird to catch up to them, and then let out a surprised snort at their words. Their gaze brightened, eyes gleaming.

King Envy!

The weasel couldn't hold back the smile even around the wad of grass they were carrying for Lust. They grinned until their cheeks ached, their heart swelling with pride until it nearly burst. They let out a muffled sound, but couldn't quite find the words. "Heh-heh," they managed eventually, through the slobbery grass in their jaws.
"'ss jus'... parch of bein'... a goog king."

They were gonna make sure that Lust thought of them as the great and noble leader they would surely one day become.



"Speech."

Envy kept on moving at a steady pace, even though their paws were itching to run off ahead and find the place. It wasn't far, but at this pace, it was gonna take a while to get back to their den. Naturally, they wanted to cover as much distance as quickly as possible, something that their lithe body achieved easily. But they were drawn back to the matter at hand by the voice of the pigeon trailing along behind them. Envy turned, taking a few seconds to consider before impatiently dropping their bundle and hurrying back with a slithering gait.

Envy stood before the chick, tail twitching, teeth clenched into a forced smile, and forced themselves to wait. They twitched, the eagerness unbearable, impatience leaking into slight movements. "Sure," they responded after some time, mainly to fill the gap."Just, not too long, okay? I've gotta get you home and... You know... keep you... safe."

A small sigh escaped them. They could hardly wait to get back home, helping Lust get set up as their first official follower. They could hardly wait to have Lust right there by their den, for them to... well... they didn't know exactly. Rule? Yes, that was right. Either way, Lust was theirs, and the sooner they could get back, the better. But they also needed to look like a good, strong king. And that meant doing stupid things for her benefit. They looked back up at Lust. "Finished?"


"Speech."

Envy glanced away, working out how much longer it'd take to reach their destination at a pace like this. They were all too eager to get moving. surely Lust would be able to carry on soon? they looked at the baby pigeon expectantly, pricking their ears as she spoke, in a voice full of worry. Envy nodded. "Of course, of course- don't worry about that. I'll take care of it," they soothed. "I know everyone Reseda hangs around with. I can send them to find her, and let her know where we are. She'll find us."

Envy thought about it some more, and grinned. "We can tell her how good a king I'm being, hm?" They moved back to their bundle of grass and glanced back at Lust, holding their head high in what they thought was a royal and dignified poise. They glanced Lust's way. "Ready to go?"

Without awaiting a response, they scooped up their bundle and padded on, as slowly as they could go without pulling a muscle from anticipation.

"Speech."

Envy glanced towards lust as they continued, drinking in her words with interest. They kept walking for a while, offering only a grunt in response around the grass still overflowing from their jaws. "Mmm-hm... Mmm-hm." they said, nodding at each statement in turn. Finally, the weasel was approaching the little crevice they'd turned into a home, and they were eager to reach it. They could hear the nearby trickle of the stream, rushing in their ears. Soon, they were following a crumbling wall running parallel to it, as though planned long ago.

Finally, they drew to a halt, putting down the grass they carried for a momentary break. they were in the general vicinity of their den, so this would do. They could easily show lust around from here without fear of losing their grassy prize. "Well, I'm a lot smaller than her too, but I can handle myself. I'm sure she knows that."

Envy stretched their jaw wide, sticking out their tongue against the gross taste of plants. They didn't know how folks like Pride could eat this, and even more so, enjoy it. The weasel tried not to think about it. "Of course I do! I'm their king, after all," Envy boasted eagerly. "I'm sure you'll meet them soon enough. In particular, look out for a white deer. He's about your age, but... a lot bigger." Envy hated to admit it, but the fawn was bigger than them, too. "His name is Pride." Envy let that sink in before moving onto the little one's next questions. "I don't know everyone in the cave. That'd be impossible. I know a lot of them though, and there are a lot."They paused and looked around they scurried forward, starting to cover theremaining distance between them and their den, and leaving the grass where it was, for now.

"Anyway, we're just about here."


"Speech."

"Well, I wouldn't say that. It's functional. It's just a little cave," Envy explained as they moved.

Envy kept on scurrying, following a well-trodden path inlaid with their scent from the thousand times they'd run it. They paused occasionally to look back towards Lust, before hurrying on. Finally, they came to a halt at a place where the wall was more like rubble than a solid structure- with plenty of cracks and furrows and piles of worn bricks.

"We're here," the weasel said, turning around back towards them. "Want to take a look around and find a good nest spot? If you want it off the ground, you could easy just--" the weasel bounded over to the foot of the wall and clambered up onto a brick at the base of a worn pile. They clambered up onto another, and then another until they were looking down at Lust as if from the top of a mountain. In reality, they were only a few feet up. But they sure felt tall.

After a few moments of standing tall and proud, they scurried down to the base of the wall, pattering over to a small hollow in between two bricks. It looked like just a space where the brick's setting had worn away, leaving triangular-shaped space that lead deeper into the rubble pile. There was just enough room for Envy to curl up in. Inside was a cluster of glowing pebbles, an amethyst gem, and a single pale pearl. It reeked of metal and the musky scent of Envy's fur. "This is it. If you take a look, don't steal anything. Trust me, I'll know."

They pattered out, back towards Lust. "Want me to go get the grass while you pick a spot?"


"Speech."